Wilcox Robert A, Whitham Emma M
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia.
Ann Intern Med. 2003 Apr 15;138(8):673-7. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-138-8-200304150-00016.
Today, two serpent motifs are commonly used to symbolize the practice and profession of medicine. Internationally, the most popular symbol of medicine is the single serpent-entwined staff of Asklepios (Latin, Aesculapius), the ancient Greco-Roman god of medicine. However, in the United States, the staff of Asklepios (the Asklepian) and a double serpent-entwined staff with surmounting wings (the caduceus) are both popular medical symbols. The latter symbol is often designated as the "medical caduceus" and is equated with the ancient caduceus, the double serpent-entwined staff of the Greco-Roman god Hermes (Latin, Mercury). Many physicians would be surprised to learn that the medical caduceus has a quite modern origin: Its design is derived not from the ancient caduceus of Hermes but from the printer's mark of a popular 19th-century medical publisher. Furthermore, this modern caduceus became a popular medical symbol only after its adoption by the U.S. Army Medical Corps at the beginning of the 20th century. This paper describes the ancient origin of the Asklepian and how a misunderstanding of ancient mythology and iconography seems to have led to the inappropriate popularization of the modern caduceus as a medical symbol.
如今，有两种蛇的图案常用于象征医学实践和医学职业。在国际上，最流行的医学标志是古希腊罗马医神阿斯克勒庇俄斯（拉丁语为埃斯库拉庇乌斯）的单蛇缠绕权杖。然而，在美国，阿斯克勒庇俄斯的权杖（阿斯克勒庇俄斯杖）和带有翅膀的双蛇缠绕权杖（墨丘利节杖）都是广为人知的医学标志。后一种标志常被称为“医学墨丘利节杖”，并被等同于古代的墨丘利节杖，即古希腊罗马神赫尔墨斯（拉丁语为墨丘利）的双蛇缠绕权杖。许多医生得知医学墨丘利节杖有着相当现代的起源可能会感到惊讶：它的设计并非源自古代赫尔墨斯的墨丘利节杖，而是源自19世纪一位广受欢迎的医学出版商的印刷商标记。此外，这种现代的墨丘利节杖直到20世纪初被美国陆军医疗队采用后才成为广为人知的医学标志。本文描述了阿斯克勒庇俄斯杖的古老起源，以及对古代神话和图像学的误解似乎如何导致现代墨丘利节杖作为医学标志被不适当地普及。
