[The staff of Aesculapius. Symbol of the art of healing and of the doctor].

The Staff of Aesculapius, the symbol of the art of healing and of the doctor, is one of the oldest and best known of all emblems. It has persisted over thousands of years in spite of numerous changes and revivals and is today the universal sign of medical activity. The manifold origins and the logically incomprehensible content of ideas of the rod with its snake, and also its many levels of interpretation are sketched in this contribution. It is shown how, in the histroy of humanity myths, symbols and folklore, which are fed from different sources, finally condense into an optical symbol of human activity.