Everyone knows that the symbol of medicine is a bowl with a snake, and the people jokingly call it “mother-in-law eats ice cream”. But not everyone knows what such an emblem means. What else are the symbols for medicine, where they came from, and what is their true meaning? This is what we will talk about in our article.
Where did the medical symbols come from?
At different times, different cultures adopted their symbols and emblems of medicine, which reflected the understanding and perception of death and life, pointed to the image of the healer and treatment methods. Speaking of various medical symbols, it is worth recalling the famous gods - the patrons of healing, ancient methods of treatment and other features.
The most basic and most ancient symbol of medicine is snakes. It was their image in a variety of forms that was used to denote healing. The history of the use of this sign is rooted in the ancient civilizations of the East, Greece and Egypt. For example, it is a snake that encircles the body of Isis, the Egyptian patroness of healing. Also, the snake is accompanied by an inscription on the pillar of Sesostris I in Karnak, which says: "I grant life, longevity and health ... to the king of lower and upper Egypt." Interestingly, the modern symbol of medicine also did not do without a snake image. Here the reptile wraps around the cup, and each part of this emblem deserves special attention.
With the development of society, with an increase in the level of knowledge about nature and the world around us, the symbols reflecting various phenomena have changed and rethought. Today, the interpretation of the symbols of healing that have reached us is quite diverse. There are about fifty different conditional images that mean medicine, but we will consider only the most common.
General and private healing emblems
For a comprehensive study of the issue, along with many scientific methods used in the study of medical symbolism, the historical method is also relevant.
The most valuable sources for studying the issue are numismatics and bonistics. The first one examines coins, tokens, medals and orders, and the second examines paper banknotes in historical, economic and artistic terms. It is on coins and banknotes of various eras that you can find the largest number of medical symbols and emblems of healing, and in some cases it is generally the only source of confirmation of their physical existence.
Specialists studying emblems and symbols of medicine tend to apply a special classification, according to which all existing signs can be divided into private and general. To private belong:
- a drop of blood is a sign of a surgical profile;
- image of a lily of the valley;
- klystir (enema);
- hand palpating pulse - emblem of therapists;
- image of a Florentine baby;
- pentagrams of surgical instruments, such as a scalpel;
- urinaria;
- mortars with or without a pestle - such emblems are used by pharmacists or medical societies;
- military medical signs (emblems).
Common medical symbols are much more famous. These include:
- snake;
- the staff of Asclepius (Aesculapius) - a snake wrapping a stick;
- a snake around the bowl;
- two snakes entwining a rod of Hermes (Mercury);
- egg;
- a snake entwining the Apollo tripod;
- lamp;
- Ankh Impotech;
- a snake wrapping around a mirror;
- cock;
- one or two snakes twisted around a candle or lamp;
- snake entwining the Delphic navel, omphalos;
- burning candle or torch;
- heart in the palms and others.
Thus, we can conclude that general symbols mean healing in general, and private ones are designed to divide medicine into directions.
Why is the snake a symbol of medicine
At the dawn of civilization, in a primitive society that was just emerging, when the first totems reflected the helplessness of man before nature and the world around him, the snake was one of the main symbols. With the advent of the religious cult, the dual nature of good and evil was attributed to snakes. On the one hand, they personified insidiousness and cunning, and on the other, they were a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and immortality.
Interestingly, in ancient beliefs, the symbol of medicine was not poisonous snakes at all , but a quiet harmless one. They were called "Aesculapian snakes." These reptiles were honorary residents of the cult centers of healing in Rome and Greece. The snakes moved freely around the house and treated the ill - wounds licked. The Romans and Greeks loved their snakes very much, kept them in houses, at baths and baths.
For many peoples, the snake symbolizes a good beginning, brings prosperity to the house, health and happiness to those living in it. Also, according to legend, snakes heal wounds and are able to teach the wisdom of healing.
In ancient Eastern mythology, the snake was also associated with human health and their treatment, and in African countries it represented healing. Perhaps this is the only case in which you can trace the chain of associations. The fact is that in Africa only sorcerers were engaged in treating people, they were also charmers of poisonous snakes. So a chain of associations appeared: sorcerer - snakes - treatment. Then, however, the sorcerers disappeared somewhere, but the snakes and healing remained in a strong bond.
In European countries, unlike Africa, the snake was not associated with sorcerers, but with wisdom and knowledge in general. This is a symbol of eternal youth - rejuvenation in this case symbolizes the annual molting, skin change. This ability of a snake in the literal sense of the word “lose its temper” was found interestingly in Egyptian legends. At midnight, the great sun god Ra, along with his associates, leaves the luminous boat and enters the body of a huge snake. In the morning they all come out of his gut as children, sit down again in the sacred boat and continue their journey through the sky. That is how, according to the ancient Egyptians, day is replaced by night.
Similar myths of rejuvenation and immortality exist in African tales, Sumerian legends and Greek myths. As the oldest symbol of medicine, the snake was depicted without any additions or attributes. And only much later they began to attach to it a staff, tripod, mirror or the famous cup.
What does the cup symbolize
Since the symbol of medicine is a bowl with a snake, the next thing we will talk about will be it. The most common interpretation of the fact that the cup has become a symbol of something good and saving, that is, medicine, is associated with the perception of fresh water in the arid regions of the globe. Since it rained seldom in these places, water became a gift from heaven. It was possible to save the gift of the heavenly gods with the help of hands folded in the form of a bowl, or stones with indentations, clay or metal utensils. Since people died out from drought in whole villages, prayers for rain began to be accompanied by requests for health and the preservation of life. On ancient Egyptian stelae and frescoes, the patient, turning to the gods with a request for recovery, holds in his hands exactly the cup.
Treatment with water has become traditional for the countries of the Ancient East and India. Alchemists have necessarily used water or dew drops to obtain medicines. For healing, special cups were used with spells and symbols engraved on them. For example, for the treatment of fear (the “disease of fear”), Muslims used a special “goblet of fear” - a copper cup specially made in Mecca and decorated with sayings from the holy Quran.
Folk legends have preserved expressions related to ritual chalices: “the cup of suffering”, “let the house become a full cup”, “drink the cup to the bottom”, “the cup of patience” and others. These sayings contain the dual nature of the image - a two-bottom goblet, the creation of heaven and earth. If a person drank from the cup of earthly creation, his gut turns to earthly passions. Having drunk from the heavenly cup, a man directs thoughts to heaven, lofty ideals, gets rid of earthly sins and passions. For good reason, one of the symbols of Christianity is the communion cup - the cup of deliverance from sins.
Staff
Considering the symbols of medicine, one can not help but recall the staff - a bitten pole, around which a snake usually wraps itself. This item represents a road stick, meaning the pilgrimage of the healers. The staff not only helps along the way, but also increases confidence. The medical treatises of India strongly recommended that the doctor carry a staff with him, since patients unconsciously trust more experienced, middle-aged people who have a connection with the land.
It was this subject that became the prototype of the doctor's cane, especially popular in England in the Middle Ages. Sometimes, as a medical symbol, the staff was depicted with branches and foliage. This symbolized the beginning of a new life, rejuvenation.
In some emblems there is not a staff, but a rod of Mercury, or Hermes. This god was considered an intermediary between the kingdoms of the dead and the living, between people and gods. According to legend, Hermes received his rod as a gift from Apollo. It was a reward for inventing such a musical instrument as a lyre, and masterfully playing it. The Greeks called this magic cane Kirekiyon, and the Romans called Caduceus.
Pentagram and tripod
Symbols of medicine, such as the pentagram and Apollo tripod, are also quite popular.
The first of them is a five-pointed star drawn in one line. This sign has its roots in Mesopotamia and Egypt. It is believed that in this way five planets known at that time were interconnected: Mars, Venus, Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter. This symbol was most often used as a talisman and amulet against spirits and creatures that cause misfortunes and illnesses. A little later, during the widespread spread of Christianity, the pentagram became a sign of heretics and was replaced by an image of a hand with spread fingers.
The second sign is the Apollo tripod. According to legend, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, Apollo killed Python, the evil monster guarding the valley. At the site of the battle, the Delphic Temple, the sanctuary of Apollo, was built. One of the walls of the temple was a rock, from the crevice of which a heady aroma flowed. Nearby on a golden tripod sat Pythia, a priestess who communicated with the gods and thus recognized their will. And since Apollo was the patron of medicine and healing, the tripod from his sanctuary became a special symbol uniting the three principles of medicine:
- own observation;
- analysis of other people's observations;
- conclusion by analogy.
Asclepius's Staff
So, what does the symbol of medicine mean, depicting a stick up which a snake crawls? To begin with, it is worth noting that this sign is the most recognizable from about the VIII century BC. The history of this sign dates back to Greek myths. According to legend, Asclepius (the Romans called him Aesculapius) learned his craft, the art of healing, from a centaur named Chiron. He successfully applied the acquired knowledge in practice and became the most skilled healer. He treated people so well that Zeus was frightened that thanks to his efforts, people would even become immortal. Therefore, he killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt.
There is a legend according to which Asclepius was once invited to the court of King Minos to resurrect his dead son. On the way to the palace, a snake suddenly climbed onto the stick on which Asclepius leaned while walking. The doctor got scared and killed her. As soon as he took the reptile life, out of nowhere another snake appeared, carrying grass in his mouth. Using a bundle of grass, the snake resurrected her friend, and together they crawled away. Asclepius correctly understood the sign of the gods, he found the grass that the snake held in his mouth, and was able to resurrect the son of King Minos.
Since then, the image of the staff of Asclepius began to be used as a symbol of healing, and the doctor himself was revered as the god of healing.
Bowl with a snake
Nevertheless, a much more common symbol of medicine is a snake wrapping around a bowl. The first images of this symbol date back to 600–800. BC. It is noteworthy that at first the parts of the image existed separately and were attributes of Hygea, the daughter of Asclepius - she held the snake in one hand, and the cup in the other. And only much later, the images were combined into a single whole.
The true meaning of this sign is highly controversial. Someone interprets it this way, and someone else. Most often, the cup is associated with a container for storing snake venom, a well-known medicinal substance, and the snake symbolizes wisdom. However, there is another interpretation. According to him, the emblem reminds the doctor of the need to be wise, and to draw wisdom from the cup of world knowledge, the human mind that encompasses the whole world.
The funniest interpretation of the symbol was invented by medical students. In their opinion, the symbol means that the medic is "cunning, like a serpent, and loves to drink."
Today, such an emblem is most often used to denote pharmaceutical activity.
Caduceus
The meaning of the symbol of medicine, depicting a rod with wings around which two snakes curl, is also not too clear.
The fact is that initially the caduceus was a symbol of secrecy, a sign protecting commercial or political correspondence. And only much later became a symbol of medicine.
For ease of perception, it is worth splitting the logo into several parts:
- the rod symbolizes the Tree of Life, the connection between heaven and earth;
- the double spiral formed by the interweaving of serpentine bodies is a symbol of cosmic energy, the unity of opposites, the duality of phenomena;
- the reptiles themselves are the active forces of the earthly and otherworldly worlds.
Most likely, the transformation of the symbol from a commercial (political) into a medical one occurred due to the presence of snakes giving both a medicinal potion and poison.
Red cross and crescent
If we consider the symbols of medicine, popular around the world, do not forget about the red cross and the crescent. Oddly enough, but such a symbol does not mean “something medical”, as is commonly believed in our country. It is designed to protect physicians, the wounded, hospitals and hospitals during military conflicts. Therefore, it is unacceptable to use such a symbol in pharmacies, car kits, dressing gowns and caps of medical staff and in other places. According to the idea, it should have an "emergency" value and be applied only in extreme cases.
Of similar importance are:
- Red Cross;
- red crescent (in Islamic countries);
- the sun and the red lion (in Iran);
- Red Star of David (in Israel).
Currently, the Red Cross Movement is engaged in the development of new symbols, devoid of national and religious signs.
Star of life
The symbol of medicine, the photo of which is presented below, is not too popular in Russia. This is the "Star of Life" - a symbol of medicine born in the USA. Each of the rays of a snowflake symbolizes a specific function of emergency medical care:
- detection;
- notice;
- response;
- assistance at the scene;
- transportation assistance;
- transportation for further assistance.
Conclusion
When studying medicine, it is impossible not to know or understand the symbols meaning healing. Interest in the past, as you know, gives rise to a bright future. The brighter we can imagine the content and significance of the cultural relay passed on to us by past generations, the more valuable and significant the present becomes for us. Indeed, in each symbol our ancestors put a special meaning, designed to convey its value to future generations.