Aesculapius & the Caduceus

ingridrichter:

Aesculapius, the mythological god of medicine, carried a knotty wooden staff entwined with a single snake representing life-giving powers.  The two-snake design dates back some 4,000 years to Babylon.  It reappeared in Greek mythology with a pair of wings added, as Hermes’ wand, and called the Caduceus, a name derived from the Greek word meaning herald’s wand or staff.

Symbol Sourcebook by Henry Dreyfuss, 1972.

Vesalius was not fond of the Aesculapius, seeing it as a symbol of the antiquated devotion to Galen. It still remained a symbol of medicine despite his denouncement.