The ‘correct’ symbol of medicine, which is a knarled wooden staff with a single encircling snake held in the accompanying image by Asclepius who stands frowning centre-stage. A widely used—and incorrect—alternative symbol for medicine is the Caduceus a magic wand with two snakes, held by the Roman god Mercury, also known as Hermes in Greek mythology, to the far left in the image

References in periodicals archive

Children, in this collection, tend to inherit their parents' pathologies, such as schizophrenia ("Sharing the Hostage"), depression ("La Tristesse des Herissons"), the impulse to control other people's fates ("The Rod of Asclepius"), or, if they're lucky, the pursuit of safe and boring suburban cul-de-sac existences ("Limerence").

Jacob M. Appel: Einstein's Beach House: Stories

Even today the rod of Asclepius, a snake coiled round a staff, is used to symbolise medical practice.

The soother of evil pains: Asclepius and Freud

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