| One snake or two: the symbols of medicine. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18453299 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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In antiquity, Asklepios was portrayed with a stout staff around which was coiled a snake. Hermes (Mercury), the messenger of the gods, was portrayed with a wand, often with wings, around which were coiled two snakes. During the Renaissance and up to modern times, in varied locales, each icon has been termed the caduceus and afforded the status of the symbol of medicine. It is proposed that this confusion did not arise from ignorance, but from the loss of the deeper significance of the symbols, and from the replacement of religious iconographic constraints by aesthetic and decorative considerations. |
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Authors:
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Carol R Froman; John E Skandalakis |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Historical Article; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The American surgeon Volume: 74 ISSN: 0003-1348 ISO Abbreviation: Am Surg Publication Date: 2008 Apr |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-05-05 Completed Date: 2008-06-03 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0370522 Medline TA: Am Surg Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 330-4 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Center for Surgical Anatomy, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. cfroman@emory.edu |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals History, 15th Century History, 16th Century History, 17th Century History, 18th Century History, 19th Century History, 20th Century History, Ancient History, Medieval Humans Mythology* Religion and Medicine* Snakes* Symbolism* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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