Medicine, or the "art of healing", originated in ancient civilizations. Most of the modern symbols associated with it also originate from those times. In particular, they were influenced by the culture of ancient Greece. What do medical signs and symbols mean? Photos and the meaning of the most common emblems can be found later in the article.
Key logos
Throughout history, medicine has accumulated a huge number of emblems. They are used by us as recognition marks and can be placed on documentation, offices or workwear of various healthcare organizations.
The most famous medical symbols and signs are:
- red cross and red crescent;
- Hygea vessel;
- Asclepius's staff;
- "Star of life";
- caduceus.
The most common are emblems depicting a snake - the ancient Greek symbol of wisdom, healing and rebirth. She was considered an attribute of the famous doctor of Hippocrates, the gods Hermes, Asclepius and Hygea. A snake can be depicted with a staff, a bowl, a mirror, candles, an Apollo tripod and other objects.
There are other medical signs. For example, an enema, a vessel for collecting urine, or urinaria (as a symbol of the guardianship of the doctor over the patient), a cock, a drop of blood, an egg, a burning torch, a lamp.
Asclepius's Staff
The staff of Asclepius is a medical sign born from a myth. According to the latter, the staff of the ancient Greek god-healer once surrounded the snake. He killed her, but another appeared on his way. In her mouth she held grass, which resurrected the murdered "girlfriend."
Asclepius found a way to bring the dead back to life, and the snake entwining the staff became the first international emblem of the ancient art of healing. The symbol itself appeared around the VIII century BC.
The ambulance symbol in many countries is the “star of life”. It is a white staff of Asclepius against the background of a blue six-pointed star.
Hygea vessel
Hygea is the goddess of health and daughter of the legendary Asclepius. Since 800 BC, its symbol has been the cup. Later, images began to appear of the bowl, which is already wrapping around. Sometimes they depicted the goddess herself, who held a goblet in her hands and fed a snake from it.
Around the 18th century, the Hygea vessel became the medical sign of pharmacy, first in Paris and then in the world. The National Society of Pharmacists of the USA and Canada has a reward in the form of a Gigeea Cup, it is awarded to the leaders of the region.
Caduceus
Kerikion, or caduceus - another emblem originally from ancient Greece. This medical mark is very similar to the staff of Asclepius, which leads to their confusion. But, unlike the staff, the caduceus belongs to Hermes.
The symbol is a rod with wings at the top, which is surrounded by two whole snakes. Hermes was a very versatile deity. He patronized merchants, travelers, magic and alchemy. His caduceus was considered the herald’s rod and had the ability to reconcile people. In ancient times, he had nothing to do with medicine.
Later he became associated with secret knowledge, knowledge of the universe and dualism of the universe. The sign gained particular popularity in the XV-XVI centuries, when alchemists made it their symbol. He migrated to medicine only in the 19th century, personifying life and death as two sides of a single whole.
Red cross and crescent
The emblem of the red cross appeared in 1863 as a symbol of assistance to the military, wounded in battle. She appeared thanks to the Swiss Henri Dunant, a witness to the Battle of Solferino. Henri saw that due to the lack of decals of orderlies and doctors, helping the victims on the battlefield was very difficult. As a result, a red cross sign appeared on a white background.
During the Russo-Turkish war, the Ottoman Empire abandoned the cross, linking it with a religious sign. Instead, they used a red crescent on a white background. In 1929, in Geneva, the crescent was recognized as the second emblem of assistance. More often it is found in Muslim countries.
Both signs are symbols of the International Red Cross and Crescent Movement, which pledges to provide assistance to all those in need, regardless of their differences, and to promote peace on the planet.