Symbol Of Doctors: The Mix-Up

Interestingly enough there is some controversy around the symbol of medicine and rightfully so! Here's your history lesson for the day:

The common symbol seen on textbooks and commercial healthcare organizations, particularly in the United States, is the symbol of  Caduceus. The Caduceus is also known as the staff of Hermes and is represented by a winged rod and two entwined serpents. The God of Hermes was known as the God of merchants, thieves, messengers, and tricksters, of which the rod was used to enchant mortars or to lead the dead into the underworld. The symbol was popularized when the U.S. Army Medical Corps adopted it as its official emblem in 1902, despite attempts warning of the mistake and confusion between the Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius, the actual symbol of medicine.

The Rod of Asclepius, on the other hand, is a single serpent coiled around a staff held by the demigod Asclepius. Asclepius surpassed all gods and mortals in the practice of medicine and was honored with temples, or what could be translated into what we know as the current day hospital, that were built across the Greek and Roman world. The single serpent entwined around the rod was displayed at the temples and has become known as the modern symbol of doctors. This symbol, although mostly lost in translation in the U.S., is the true symbol and used around the world and even used in the insignia of the World Health Organization.

Who would of thought that we have had it wrong all these years? :)