The caduceus is the traditional symbol of Hermes and features two snakes winding around an often winged staff. Ancient sources associate Hermes with a variety of attributes, including wisdom, trade, deception, thievery, eloquence, negotiation, and alchemy.[1][2] Nevertheless it is often used as a symbol of medicine, especially in the United States.
The modern use of the caduceus as a symbol of medicine became established in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century as a result of well-documented mistakes and misunderstandings of symbology and classical culture.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Critics of this practice say that the correct symbol for medicine is the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and no wings.[7]
^Powell, Barry B. (2015). Classical Myth (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson. pp. 177–190. ISBN978-0-321-96704-6.
^Brown, Norman Oliver (1947). Hermes the Thief: The Evolution of a Myth. New York: Vintage Books. p. 3.
^Friedlander, Walter J (1992). The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine. Greenwood Press. ISBN0-313-28023-1. OCLC24246627.
^Haubrich, William S. (2003). Medical meanings: a glossary of word origins. American College of Physicians. p. 37. ISBN0-943126-56-8. By some misconception, the caduceus became the insignia of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. The conventional symbol of medicine is the staff of Aesculapius, which is a coarse rod entwined by a single serpent.