It is assumed that snake symbol in medicine appeared in Ancient Babylon about four thousand years ago.
The snake was generally one of the totem animals among ancient people. Characteristic of that time was the endowment of magical properties to animals - totemism. They were worshiped, elevated to cult. The totem snake was assigned a dual role: the role of good and evil. On the one hand, the snake symbolized deceit and cunning, and on the other, immortality, wisdom and knowledge.
The symbol of the snake is present among many peoples and symbolizes goodness, prosperity and health. Snakes were also credited with a magical role in healing wounds and teaching witchcraft.
There are different hypotheses trying to explain the connection of the snake among many peoples with the healing of the sick. According to one of them, people associate incomprehensible phenomena with incomprehensible and mysterious creatures, which were snakes. The causes of illness and death were still unknown.
Snakes were deified and considered immortal, as they were able to shed their skin and be reborn. It was believed that people also had this gift, but cunning snakes stole it.
Crawling creatures appeared in the mythology of the Ancient East, in which they were associated with health and healing. In Africa they were associated with healing and witchcraft. Obviously because sorcerers were engaged in treatment (the symbol of the sorcerer was a snake).
In European countries, the snake was a symbol of more than just healing. She symbolized knowledge and wisdom. It is quite possible that the first doctors were noted as knowledgeable, “learned” people.
There are quite a lot of hypotheses and assumptions, but there is one fact - the symbol of medicine is a snake.
At first, the snake was depicted without any additional attributes. Later, the emblem in the form of Apollo’s tripod entwined with a snake became known. But still the most famous are three medicine emblems: cup with snake, caduceus and staff of Asclepius.
One of the most recognizable symbols of medicine is the staff of Asclepius. A snake coiled around a gnarled stick.
Asclepius is the god of healing, the son of the god of truth and prophecies Apollo. According to legend, he knew how to resurrect the dead. Zeus, fearing that all people would become immortal, killed him with a lightning strike. According to one legend, Asclepius was invited to the palace of Minos, the king of Crete, whose son had died. Asclepius leaned on his staff on the way, when suddenly a snake wrapped itself around this staff. Frightened, the doctor killed her. The second one immediately climbed onto the staff to resurrect the first one with the help of magic grass. Asclepius found this herb and used medicine to resurrect the son of King Minos.
Therefore, Asclepius is depicted standing in a long cloak, leaning on a staff with a snake. By the way, sometimes they were depicted with two snakes, which was apparently confused with the rod of Hermes.
Rod of Hermes (Romans - Mercury) or caduceus
The word "caduceus" is Greek. Indicates the sign of the messenger's authority. The Caduceus is the magic staff of the god Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods. Two snakes wrap around him. At the top of the wand is a pair of wings, a symbol of balanced and virtuous behavior. Now it is a symbol of commerce and medicine. However, previously it was a rather diverse symbolic figure (it’s interesting if you know that Hermes, in addition to merchants, also patronized thieves and rogues). For the last four thousand years, the caduceus has been associated with divine powers, sometimes with messengers of the gods. In alchemy it was a symbol of duality and cosmic energy.
The association with medicine arose from the presence of the same snakes, as well as the snake on the staff of Asclepius.
Bowl with snake
“Cunning as a snake and not a fool to drink” -
medical students
The most common medical emblem in Russia. The first images date back to the 8th century BC. At first these were two different symbols: . These were the attributes of the daughter of Aesculapius - the goddess of health Hygeia (the science of hygiene, remember?). Hygeia was depicted with a cup in one hand and a snake in the other. And there was no such symbol before as we are used to seeing now.
Historians believe that the cup with a snake as a symbol was proposed by the famous physician Paracelsus in the 16th century. There are several versions about the true meaning of the symbol. It is possible that the bowl with the snake symbolizes snake venom with its healing properties. But most often the cup is considered as a source of wisdom and intelligence, a source of knowledge for the doctor.
Hygeia was depicted with a snake drinking from a cup
In Russia, a bowl with a snake appeared as the main medical symbol in the 18th century (at first with two snakes). In 1924, a symbol similar to the modern one was the distinctive sign of military medicine. This sign is currently the official emblem of the military medical personnel of the Russian Army.
Symbol of military medics since 2005
Red cross symbol
This is the official emblem of the Red Cross Society. Many associate it with medical activities and perceive it as “everything medical.” The meaning of this symbol is completely different. This is a special symbol. Designed to protect doctors during military operations. Therefore, it is now being removed from pharmacy signs, medical caps, and car first aid kits (I’m not sure if it’s active). This is one of the few symbols that is recognized throughout the world.
Symbols of the Red Cross
The symbol of the red cross and red crescent (and now also the red diamond) is the official emblem of the International Red Cross Movement. The initiator of the creation of a society providing charitable medical care to those wounded during wars was the Swiss Henri Dunant in the 19th century. Essentially, the red cross is an inverted (colors swapped) flag of Switzerland. Although the symbol of the red cross has been known since the times of the Crusades.
In Muslim countries, the red crescent emblem plays the same role; in Israel, the red Star of David is common.
In 2005, the International Committee of the Red Cross adopted another symbol: a red diamond (or crystal). The fact is that the Committee received a large number of applications for recognition of national emblems: the red flame from Thailand, the red cedar from Lebanon, the red palm tree from Syria, even the red rhinoceros from Sudan. A red star was declared for Zimbabwe. They considered that such diversity could destroy the very idea of a universal symbol, so they left these three emblems.
According to the Geneva Convention of 1949, the Red Cross emblem is assigned to humanitarian medical transports, buildings, and missions for the purpose of protection against attack during armed conflict. This symbol is used on buildings, cars, and is applied to uniforms. This emblem has one peculiarity: it cannot be purchased as a trademark or brand.
Now there is confusion in Russia: the red stripe, red cross and telephone number 03 on ambulances are applied according to GOST 1975, but according to the Geneva Convention this is prohibited.
Star of Life
Ambulance emblem. First of all in the USA
An emblem that looks like a blue snowflake. The six-pointed star symbol representing emergency medical care in the United States. In the center of the emblem is the famous staff of Asclepius with a snake. Used on emergency medical vehicles throughout the United States. Until 1973, the ambulance service used an orange cross on a white background (orange is the color of all EMERCOM workers, as it is clearly visible). In 1997, the US patent for this symbol expired. Now it can be seen in other countries (for example Peru, Poland).
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Even at a time when the social system of mankind was extremely primitive and in its infancy, the first steps were taken towards the creation of a modern symbol of medicine. In ancient beliefs, snakes became the main symbol of healing; duality was attributed to them. On the one hand, these creatures were insidious and cunning, and on the other, they represented wisdom, knowledge, immortality and proper nutrition. It is interesting that all these qualities mainly applied to simple snakes, which were also called “Aesculapian snakes”. In the houses of the ancient Greeks and Romans, these creatures felt quite comfortable, they were looked after, fed, and could move freely around the house. It is known that snakes often licked wounds. Somewhat later, they began to add a bowl to the symbolism of the snake, and sometimes a staff, around which the reptile was wrapped. This is how the symbol of medicine, the bowl with the snake, was born.
Ancient Greek myths played a significant role in the formation of the symbol of the bowl with the snake. For example, the great healer Asclepius (in Roman mythology Aesculapius) was always depicted next to snakes. According to legend, he was summoned by King Minos to revive his son. On the way, Asclepius noticed that a snake was beginning to crawl out of the cane that served him as a support. He was overcome by fear and quickly killed her. A moment later, another snake crawled out of the grass, with a bunch of some grass in its mouth, with the help of which it managed to revive its dead relative, and they crawled away. The doctor took this as a sign and began to look for this herb. Having discovered it, he was subsequently able to successfully resurrect the king’s son. This was the reason why Zeus himself decided to kill him, because he feared that because of him people would become immortal. Thus, the snake firmly took root in ancient culture. The first images with a snake entwining a bowl began to appear in the 11th BC. e. Other, no less well-known symbols were also used, for example:
- a snake wrapped around a staff (thanks to the myths about Asclepius);
- a snake entwining the tripod of Apollo;
- a pentagram, later recognized by Christians as heresy and replaced by the image of a hand with outstretched fingers.
Also, snakes have become a symbol of eternal youth, thanks to their ability to “shed”, removing old skin. Even in ancient Africa, these reptiles were considered medicinal and were associated with sorcerers, since only they knew how to subjugate them to their will.
The bowl has always been perceived by people as something good and saving, since fresh water could be stored in it. This turned out to be especially true for arid lands, where, due to rare rains, water was often mistaken for a gift from heaven. Even in Christianity there is a reflection of this - the communion cup, a cup that can save a person from his sins.
An interesting fact is that initially the cup was not a separate attribute of healing and, according to mythology, belonged to Hygiea, the daughter of Asclepius. She always holds a snake in one hand and a bowl in the other. Subsequently, this symbol was combined into one, which gave rise to numerous disputes among historians.
The interpretation of the cup varies greatly, depending on the source, it can either be a repository for poison used for treatment, or serve as a reminder that the doctor must be wise and draw his knowledge from the cup of world knowledge, which, in fact, is an allegory on the human mind, which declared the whole world.
The “Hippocratic Cup” appeared only in the 13th century, becoming the official symbol of medicine. However, no documents capable of confirming this have survived to this day.
Medical students gave the most positive interpretation of their symbol. According to their version, the doctor is cunning, like a snake, and is also always happy to drink, which is what the cup symbolizes.
Conclusion
In the modern world, the symbol of medicine - a bowl with a snake, is quite often used by pharmaceutical companies, but it can also be seen in military medicine. This is one of the most recognizable symbols of our time. Its appearance is quite logical, largely thanks to the culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which spread throughout almost all of Eurasia. Thanks to this, ancient medicine was able to rise quite high, and healers began to enjoy even greater respect.
At different times in different cultures, medical symbols reflected the perception of life and death, health and illness, and reminded of the image of the healer and methods of treatment. Speaking about the origin of medical symbols, we will remember the names of the gods known to us - the patrons of the medical art, as well as the ancient methods of healing, which are told in the legends and sacred texts of many nations.
The most common symbol of medicine is a bowl with a snake. The history of its origin goes back to the thousand-year history of the ancient civilizations of the East, Egypt and Greece, the New World. A snake wraps itself around the body of Isis, the patroness of healing in Ancient Egypt (pp. 37-38).
The image of a snake precedes the inscription on the stele of Sezoostris I at Karnak: God says: “I give life, longevity, health... to the king of upper and lower Egypt.” In this text, the Egyptian cross ankh appears several times - the personification of life and health (p. 35). In the later period of Egyptian history, this symbol became a professional insignia for doctors. The modern symbol of medicine combines images of a snake and a bowl. Each of them deserves special attention.
SNAKE
The snake is a traditional symbol of wisdom and power. The myths and legends of the countries of the Ancient East reflected echoes of the cult of snakes, often associated with the water element. An ancient Egyptian tale tells the story of a sailor who was shipwrecked and washed up on a wonderful island. Soon he heard a loud noise: “the trees were trembling, the earth was shaking. I opened my face and realized that it was a snake that was approaching. His length is 30 cubits, his beard is more than 2 cubits, his limbs are gilded, his eyebrows are made of real lapis lazuli. He moved forward." The snake is called in this tale the “Prince of Punta” - the legendary land of incense, “the land of the gods”. Another, later Egyptian tale tells of an immortal serpent guarding a miraculous book at the bottom of the sea.
The traditions of Babylon and Assyria, Jewish and Abyssinian legends connect prehistoric times with the kingdom of the serpent. Here is what the Abyssinian legend says about this: “There is a great serpent; he is the king of the land of Ethiopia; All the rulers bow to him and bring him a beautiful maiden as a gift. Having decorated her, they bring her before this serpent and leave her alone, and this serpent devours her... The length of this serpent is 170 cubits, and the thickness is 4; his teeth are a cubit long, and his eyes are like a fiery flame, his eyebrows are black like a raven, and his whole appearance is like tin and copper... He has a horn of three cubits. When he moves, the noise can be heard for seven days' journey." Legends about islands inhabited by snakes are preserved in Greek chronicles. Herodotus and Theophrastus mentioned snakes guarding jewels on wonderful islands; Diodorus Siculus talks about a “snake island” filled with jewels, and describes a hunt for a 30-cubit-long snake, in whose mouth one of the hunters died.
The snake was also a symbol of eternal youth: the annual change of skin symbolized rejuvenation. This idea found an interesting embodiment in the religion of the Egyptians. The change of day and night was associated with the fact that at midnight the sun god Ra leaves the solar boat with his retinue and enters the body of a huge serpent, from which everyone emerges as “children” in the morning, gets back into the boat and continues their journey across the sky. African tales and legends tell of the first people who, like snakes, could exchange old skin for new ones and live forever. In the Sumerian myth, Gilgamesh finds a flower of eternal youth in the depths of the waters, however, while he was bathing, a snake stole the flower and immediately became younger, shedding his skin. Since then, legend teaches, snakes have gained immortality, but people have remained mortal creatures. Greek myth tells about a miraculous remedy that Zeus gave to people. It could restore a person's youth. However, people did not want to carry this priceless gift themselves and put it on a donkey, who gave it to the snake. Since then, people have been bearing the heavy burden of old age, and snakes have been enjoying eternal youth.
Historical parallels: Legends of Ancient China call the huge serpent - the dragon the ancestor of the first emperors, and endow its claws, teeth, saliva and horns with healing properties. On the back of a dragon one could reach the land of the immortals (p. 83). The dragon, according to legend, once came out of the Yellow River and for the first time showed the emperor the famous image of Taiji, which reflects the relationship of yin and yang (p. 69).
Yoga likens the spiritual energy of man - kundalini - to a snake (p. 94).
A thousand years BC, the cult of the snake as a symbol of wisdom, science and knowledge arose among the Greeks. It was the snake, according to Greek mythology, that gave Asclepius the idea of the possibility of resurrecting the dead. One day, the famous healer was invited to the palace of the Cretan king Minos to resurrect his dead son. On his staff, Asclepius suddenly saw a snake and killed it. Immediately another snake appeared with healing herbs in its mouth and resurrected the dead one. Asclepius used this herb and resurrected the dead.
In the ancient world, the snake played the role of guardian of the hearth. During excavations in Pompeii, an image of a snake was discovered on the walls and home altars of many houses, which symbolized the peace and health of the inhabitants of the house. As we know, snakes were an indispensable accessory of the Asclepion (p. 127). Ancient Roman chronicles preserve evidence that during a plague epidemic, Asclepius was symbolically transported from Epidaurus to Rome in the form of a snake (p. 145). According to one of their hypotheses about the origin of the name of the god of medical art, Asclepius, it came from the name of a special kind of snake - “askalabos”. Later, these snakes, harmless to humans, began to be called “Asclepius snakes.” The snake was depicted on the first aid kit of a Roman military doctor.
However, in the history of medicine, the image of snakes and worms was often associated not only with life and health, but also with illness and death. In Egypt, the personification of the god Thoth was the ibis - a bird that eats snakes and worms that cause disease (p. 36). Babylonian healing magicians were often depicted with a whip to expel all crawling animals, especially snakes and worms. The Babylonian spell connects the origin of toothache with the penetration of a worm into the tooth (pp. 58 - 59). In Indian epics and Buddhist literature, the sacred bird Garuda (p. 116) is often called the “snake eater.” A Chinese legend attributes to worms the death of the ancient sage Yan-di, who tried to try medicines following the example of Shen-nong, the mythical patron of doctors and pharmacists (p. 66): “They say that Shen-nong had a body made of transparent jade and one could see everything his insides; and it is true. How else would it have been possible to save him from mortal danger when he tried twelve poisons a day? But they say that Yan-di tried medicine and escaped from all the poisons, but swallowed a centipede, each leg of which turned into a worm, the worms also began to multiply and Yan-di, unable to overcome them, died...”
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote that a snake bite at any moment can put an end to a person’s life, that even underground worms do not leave people alone and devour the dead. Some researchers believe that the basis of “snake symbolism” in medicine is a person’s fear of the snake, the desire to appease the formidable “goddess of death” or to scare off illness using the formidable appearance of the snake. Ancient legends contain many references to mythical snake-like creatures that threaten human life. At the same time, their body parts and poison were considered strong and universal medicines. Thus, Pliny the Elder in “Natural History” (pp. 152-157) wrote about the healing properties of ambisthenes (Greek “moving in two directions”) - a snake with two heads: one located in its usual place, the other on the tail: “.. . as if one head is not enough for her to spew out her poison"
The snake symbolized death and immortality, good and evil. They were personified by her forked tongue, the poisonousness of her bites, along with the healing effect of the poison, and the mysterious ability to hypnotize small animals and birds. This apparent contradiction, the combination in one image of two different, often opposing principles, is characteristic of symbols that have come to us from ancient times. Another example of the embodiment of this contradiction is the cup. Various hypotheses associate the origin of this healing emblem with the healing effects of water and the tradition of preparing medicines in a ritual bowl.
BOWL
The most common assumption about the origin of the cup as a medical symbol connects it with the perception of fresh water pouring from the sky in the arid and desert countries of the Ancient East. Water was a gift from heaven here. It was possible to catch and preserve precious moisture with hands folded together in the form of a bowl, as well as with the help of stones with indentations - “cup stones”, clay and metal utensils. Prayers for the sending of water were accompanied by requests for the preservation of life and healing from illnesses. The sick man depicted on the ancient Egyptian stele holds a cup in his hands, addressing the gods (p. 38).
Treatment with water is the oldest tradition of medicine of the Ancient East. A means of external and internal cleansing, water was considered a universal medicine: there is biblical evidence of the healing effect of the waters of the Jordan; traditions of water treatment were developed in the medicine of Ancient India (p.89); alchemists used dew and rainwater to obtain medicine (p. 31). When water treatment was associated with religious rituals, the cups for it were decorated with inscriptions, spells or sayings from sacred texts. For example, Muslims cured fear (“the disease of fear”) by taking a sip of water from the “cup of fear” - a copper bowl made in Mecca and decorated with sayings from the Koran.
Folk tales have preserved the expressions that have survived to this day: “the cup of life”, “the cup of happiness”, “the cup of patience”, “the cup of suffering”, “drink the cup to the bottom”, “let the house be like a full cup”, “let this cup pass from me” " They talk about the dual origin of the image of the cup - a double (double-bottomed) cup, the creation of earth and sky. It, according to the mythological ideas of the Ancient East and the ancient world, reflects the dual nature of man. When a person drinks from the cup of the earthly principle, his powers turn to earthly passions. Drinking from the heavenly cup directs him to heaven, to lofty ideals, deliverance from passions and delusions. The Greek phial, a bowl without a stand, was used in various rituals aimed at achieving health, healing from illnesses, and success in business. She is often held in the hands of Asclepius’ daughters Hygieia (p. 132) and Panacea (p. 123). It is no coincidence that this cup does not have a second bottom: it is designed to carry within itself only a healing principle and peace of mind.
Sometimes the origin of the bowl with a snake as a medical symbol is associated with
history of poisons and antidotes. Medicines often had complex compositions and included
themselves with snake venom, which was stored in special bowls. About the effect of snake venom
wrote many doctors and philosophers of Ancient Greece and Rome. Aristotle studied poisons of animal origin, including snakes. Cleopatra (1st century BC), the last Alexandrian queen from the Ptolemaic family, studied snake venom and tested it on slaves. The Greek physician Nikander of Colophonia (III century) described the effect of snake venom and indicated the composition of the antidotes. Snake venom is still used in medicines today. Snake venom became especially widespread as a medicine in the Middle Ages, and until the 19th century. it was part of many antidotes - “theriacs”. In addition, it was believed that snake liver and fat purified the blood, and snake soup added courage.
The bowl with the snake is still considered a symbol of medicine and pharmacy in our time. However, in the history of medicine in different countries, a snake entwined around a staff was more often considered the emblem of healing. It is not for nothing that this particular image was adopted in the middle of the 20th century. The World Health Organization (WHO) at the United Nations (UN) at its First World Assembly in Geneva. In 1948, the international health emblem was approved here, in the center of which is a staff entwined with a snake.
Staff
The staff of Asclepius, around which a snake coils, was usually depicted as a rough wooden stick with branches. It symbolizes the connection with the earth and the traveling staff, signifying the long journeys of the doctor. Medical treatises of Ancient India recommended that the doctor have a staff, since patients trusted more experienced and elderly people. Sushruta and Charaka wrote about this (p.99).
Many peoples still have the custom of leaving requests written on a piece of paper in churches near statues of saints. The egg in the hand of Asclepius is a symbol of the beginning of all life, as well as new life, which the gods return to the patient with recovery.
Historical parallels: The egg was a symbol of the beginning of all life for both Western and Eastern natural philosophy. The famous medieval encyclopedist Biruni (p. 173), discussing Indian mythology and the Eastern teaching about the egg as the beginning of all beginnings, wrote in the 10th century: “The Greeks had similar views regarding their god Asclepius, the founder of medicine. When they depict him, they, following the example of Galen, depict an egg in his hand as an indication of the similar structure of the Earth and as a symbol of all principles, and also in order to show that everything living on earth needs medicine.”
The staff of Asclepius became the prototype of the medical cane. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, medicine, antidote, aromatics or vinegar were sometimes found in its upper part to protect against infection. Here it is appropriate to recall the famous sword of Paracelsus, which this doctor never parted with
Sometimes a staff with branches covered with leaves served as a symbol of medicine. They personified recovery, the beginning of a new life. This symbol acquired particular significance during the era of the spread of Christianity in the lands of the New World. Geographical maps of the 16th century were often decorated with the image of St. Christopher (Greek: “carrying Christ”), carrying Christ on his shoulders across the river. The very name of Columbus, who was able to cross the ocean, was seen as a prophetic sign of the spread of Christianity. As is known, the conversion to Christianity of the peoples of the New World and Eastern countries was often accompanied by tragic events. Their reason was the thirst for gold that gripped the colonialists. Thoughts about how difficult the path to salvation is, about the sinfulness of man, his inability to carry out God’s judgment on earth constantly brought people of that era back to the Christian legend about St. Christopher is a strong and brave giant who wanted to serve only the most powerful king in the world. He went into the service of the devil after he learned that the greatest rulers were afraid of this ruler. However, the giant soon saw that his new master was afraid of the cross. Then Christopher went to the holy hermit and asked him how best to please God. On the advice of the elder, he began to carry travelers across the river who wanted to get to the other side. One day, while carrying a child on his shoulders, he was surprised to feel that the burden had become unbearably heavy. Then the baby, who was Christ, told the giant that he held the whole world on his shoulders. Bending under this weight, leaning on the staff, St. Christopher carried Christ to the other shore and saw his staff sprouting young shoots. They symbolize the amazing ability of the human soul to be reborn for a righteous life.
Sometimes, not the staff of Asclepius, but the rod of Hermes was used as a symbol of medicine. This Greek god was a mediator between gods and people, between the realms of life and death. According to legend, Hermes not only sang and played the lyre beautifully, but also invented this famous musical instrument and gave it to Apollo as a sign of respect. As a reward, Hermes received a magic rod from Apollo. Later, this rod became a symbol of peace, eloquence and mental acuity. The Greeks called the rod of Hermes the kirekiyon, the Romans called the caduceus.
The caduceus of Hermes became a general medical symbol during the Renaissance. This is probably due to the fact that in the 16th century alchemy began to develop, the patron of which was Hermes. The main goal of alchemical experiments at this time was not the search for the philosopher's stone, but the obtaining of medicines. Alchemists usually put a seal with the image of Hermes on vessels with medicinal preparations. Caduceus was often crowned
Raven as one of the symbols of alchemy. The result of the combination of alchemical
art with the art of healing at this time iatrochemistry (p. 205), a great
whose representative was Paracelsus. However, he himself was more willing to use
pentagram as a symbol of medicine.
PENTAGRAM
A pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn with one line. The history of its origin goes back to Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is believed that this magical sign connected the five planets known at that time (Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Venus) and was used as a talisman against spirits that caused illness and misfortune. The image of a pentagram was first discovered by archaeologists during excavations of Ancient Babylon during the reign of King Uruk IV (about 3000 BC). It was adopted as a symbol of medicine in Ancient Greece, especially in the Crotonian medical school (pp. 128-129), whose founder is considered to be Pythagoras. The Pythagoreans began their messages with the words “Be healthy!” and at the same time they put the sign of a pentagram as a symbol of health.
During the era of the spread of Christianity in Europe, the pentagram was considered a heretical sign and was often replaced by the image of a human hand with outstretched fingers. However, sometimes it was used as a symbol that could protect a person from the influence of devilish forces. For example, Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust could not leave the room because a pentagram was inscribed on the threshold. One of its peaks was directed into the room, and the lines of the opposite concave corner were slightly erased with time, so that Mephistopheles could enter Faust’s room, but could not leave it:
MEPHISTOPHELES: No, it’s a bit difficult for me to go out now. There's something here that bothers me a little: A magic sign at your doorstep. FAUST: Isn't the pentagram to blame for this?
But how, demon, did you sneak after me? How did you get into trouble? MEPHISTOPHELES: You deigned to draw it poorly, And a gap remained in the corner, There, at the door - and I could freely jump up.
Faust refused to release the uninvited guest. Mephistopheles had to put him to sleep and call on mice and rats for help. He was able to get out only after they gnawed a hole at the top of the pentagram.
The pentagram is not the only geometric figure to which magical effects have been attributed in the art of healing. The ideas about the healing properties of the magic square and magic circle go back to ancient times (p. 22). The texts of Sumerian spells connected the magic circle with the name of Ea, the god of healing (p. 56): “The magic circle of Ea is in my hands.” The magical properties of the triangle were reflected in the outlines of the sacred tripods.
Tripod of Apollo
Each temple dedicated to Asclepius had tripods called tripods of Apollo. According to legend, Apollo killed the evil monster Python, who was guarding the valley, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, and founded his sanctuary here. This is how the Delphic Temple arose in Ancient Greece, on the pediment of which the words “Know thyself” were written. The eastern wall of the Delphic Temple was a rock. An intoxicating aroma flowed from her cleft. It was inhaled by the priestess Pythia, sitting nearby on a golden tripod. In this way she communicated with the gods and learned their will. Not a single serious matter could be accomplished without the approval of the oracle.
Apollo was the patron of medical knowledge, and the tripod from his sanctuary became one of the symbols of medicine. It is sometimes called the “empirical tripod” and is associated with the three foundations of the skill of the empiricists of the Alexandrian school (pp. 137-139):
Own observation with the involvement of the doctor’s experience,
Observation of others, complementary to one's own experience,
Conclusion by analogy.
Historical parallels:
Tripods were also directly related to medicine and alchemy in Ancient China. Many legends tell about this. The tripod vessel contained the herbs that Shen Nun tried (p. 66). According to legend, Hundi, the first emperor and great sage, made a bronze tripod in order to brew the potion of immortality in it. When the work was completed, a huge magical dragon covered with a golden shell appeared from behind the clouds. He lowered his long mustache straight into the tripod. Huang Di understood: he was called to the immortals, to the heavenly palace. He quickly climbed the mustache onto the back of the dragon and began to rise into the sky. The rulers of small kingdoms and ordinary people wanted to follow him. Pushing and crushing each other, they grabbed the dragon's whiskers. The mustache could not withstand such weight and broke off. People fell to the ground, and the healing herb “dragon’s whiskers” grew from the dragon’s whiskers.
ANIMALS AND PLANTS SYMBOLS OF MEDICAL ART
The most famous animal symbolizing the art of medicine is the snake.
Less known are the owl and the rooster, the raven and the dog. All of them at different times were depicted next to Asclepius. The raven, like the owl, was considered a symbol of wisdom. During the Renaissance, his image began to be associated with the use of medicines prepared by alchemists. The dog is a symbol of loyalty and devotion. In addition, she is always on the alert and protects her owner.
Medal depicting the staff of Asclepius, an owl and a rooster
The presence of a rooster next to Asclepius in ancient and medieval images is sometimes associated with the fact that the rooster was usually sacrificed to the god of healing. Since ancient times, the rooster has been a sacrificial food: it was believed that its meat heals the sick. The expression “a rooster for Asclepius” has become a proverb. According to another hypothesis, the rooster and snake symbolize the two complementary qualities of a doctor: vigilance and caution.
The rooster as a Christian symbol is found already in the first centuries of our era. It was believed that his singing not only drove away evil spirits, but also brought relief to the sick after suffering, which often worsened at night, accompanied by melancholy and insomnia. Here’s how one of the church fathers, Ambrose of Milan (III century), wrote about this: “How pleasant is the crowing of a rooster at night. And not only pleasant, but also useful. This cry inspires hope in everyone’s heart; patients feel relief, pain in wounds decreases: with the arrival of light, the heat of the fever subsides"
Historical parallels:
The image of a rooster and snake as symbols of healing also existed in Ancient China. According to the teachings of Chinese doctors, a necessary condition for health was the harmony of two principles in the human body: yin and yang (p. 68). The personification of the masculine principle (yang) was the rooster, and the feminine principle (yin) was the snake.
During the Renaissance, medicine was often depicted as. a woman crowned with laurels with a staff entwined with a snake and a rooster in her hand. In the 13th century images of a staff with a snake and a singing rooster decorated the title pages of medical works. Since 1696, the golden rooster has appeared on the coat of arms of French doctors.
Sometimes on ancient bas-reliefs, Asclepius is accompanied by a goat. Her image recalls that, according to Greek mythology, the goat Athena fed milk to the baby Asclepius. Therefore, bulls, pigs and rams were usually sacrificed in the Asclepion, but goats were not among the sacrificial animals.
On ancient coins and medallions, Asclepius is often depicted with medicinal plants - poppy, grapes, palm, cypress. During the Renaissance, the image of the lily of the valley became widespread as an emblem of medicine.
Medicines made from it were an indispensable means of treating cardiovascular diseases. There is a well-known portrait of the great Polish astronomer and physician N. Copernicus (1473-1543) with a May lily of the valley flower in his hand. Copernicus studied medicine in Italy, at the University of Padua. A skilled doctor, he did not refuse medical care to his fellow citizens. The prescriptions for medicines written by him have been preserved to this day.
In conclusion of the story about plants - medical symbols, let us mention the “Hippocrates plane tree”. This giant tree, surrounded by concrete supports, still stands on the island of Kos. According to legend, two and a half thousand years ago, the great founder of the Kos medical school sat under it with his students (pp. 131-132).
MEDICAL SYMBOLS - MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE AGES
Common medical symbols at different times were images of a pestle and mortar, urinaria (p. 179), medical jars (p. 138), which decorated the coats of arms of cities known for their hospitals. However, symbols consonant with Christian ideas received the most widespread recognition in the Middle Ages. A special place among them is occupied by a burning torch and a flaming candle. Fire, which gives warmth, the gracious patron of life, has become a symbol of the spiritual essence of medical practice. Already in Ancient Greece, the flame of a fire in the form of a torch accompanied images of the patrons of life: Demeter - the goddess of agriculture and fertility, Persephone, personifying the life-giving power of the earth, Apollo who brought sunlight and Asclepius the healer. The centaur Chiron, who taught Asclepius the art of medicine, often holds a torch in his hand.
For many peoples of antiquity, fire was considered one of the main elements of nature. He was one of the elements from the beginnings in the natural philosophy of China (p. 69), India (p. 90) and Greece.
tions (p. 130). Heraclitus of Ephesus (VI-V centuries BC) considered fire to be the eternally living principle of the world. He compared the origin of life to the ignition of a flame, and its extinction to the extinction of fire. According to another philosopher, Democritus, who lived in the V-IV centuries. BC, the souls of living beings inhabiting the earth consisted of the smallest particles of fire. In ancient medicine, fire was considered as an all-healing remedy, which the doctor turned to as a last resort when other methods of treatment did not produce results. “What cannot be cured by fire,” said Hippocrates, “is incurable.” In the era of Christianity, the meaning of a burning candle expanded as a symbol of creation and the fight against darkness. A special perception of light as the “foundation of the universe” was formed under the influence of biblical texts. The words of God “Let there be light!”, spoken on the first day of creation, served as a symbol of the beginning of the circle of the Universe.
The burning of candles during church ceremonies symbolized the death of Christ, atonement for the sins of people. Well-known sayings were associated with this, which were placed on ribbons wrapped around a candle: “By shining to others, I burn,” “By serving others, I destroy myself,” “Fulfilling my duty, I forget about myself.” Portraits of famous doctors were often decorated with burning candles. The family coat of arms of the great English physician W. Harvey, who discovered the circulatory system, depicts a burning candle entwined with two snakes. This symbol accompanies the saying “The hotter it burns, the brighter it shines.”
During the Renaissance, another symbol of medicine became popular: the image of a snake that wraps itself not around a staff or a candle, but around a mirror. In this case, it is not only the personification of the caution necessary for a doctor, but also symbolizes the need for clairvoyance, the ability to “see everything as in a mirror” to master the art of healing. The mirror as a symbol of medical art is found already in ancient medicine. For example, in Tibetan medicine, the ritual magic mirror of fortune telling was a symbol of fortune telling, which certainly preceded treatment. It is an attribute of the “Mother Deity”, who bestows health (p. 108).
In Tibetan medicine, the silver mirror is considered the habitat of a water spirit that drives away the demon of disease (p. 112). The mirror and the surface of water are interconnected among many peoples. They personify the existence of “another world”, inaccessible to human perception. With the image of a mirror, the mythology of different countries of the West and East connects the idea of a “world through the looking glass”, where everything is arranged differently from the inhabitants of the Earth. The legend of Ancient China tells about one event of the legendary ancient era of the Yellow Emperor:
“In those days, unlike today, the world of mirrors and the world of people were not separated. In addition, they were very different; neither their inhabitants, nor their colors, nor their shapes were the same. Both kingdoms, mirror and human, lived peacefully; one could enter and exit through mirrors. One night, the mirror people filled the earth. His strength was great, but after bloody battles the magic spells of the Yellow Emperor won the victory. He drove out the invaders, imprisoned them in mirrors and ordered them to repeat, as if in some kind of dream, the movements of people. He stripped them of their strength and form and reduced them to mere slavery.”
In the mythological ideas of ancient cultures, the mirror was opposed to death. The custom of hanging a mirror in the house where the deceased is located has reached our time. Ancient legends often say that the forces hidden in the mirror can manifest themselves differently in daylight and in the dark. A symbol of knowledge in various fields and “spiritual enlightenment” was a mirror on which the sun’s rays fall. However, in the dark, mirrors could be a haven for dark forces dangerous to human life. In daylight, demons, vampires and other creatures that threaten human life and health, according to the beliefs of many peoples, are not reflected in the mirror, they are invisible, and this makes them especially dangerous. In the XVTII-XIX centuries. the mirror began to symbolize the honest performance of duty, the purity of the doctor’s thoughts, his sincere desire to help his neighbor. Along with the staff and cup, it began to be used as an emblem of medicine in many European countries. As we see, the image of the mirror bears the imprint of the same duality that we have already encountered in other ancient magical symbols - the snake and the bowl.
Historical parallels: Reflection of this duality manifests itself
found, for example, in the perception of twin brothers who are similar to each other
friend like a reflection in a mirror. So, Greek mythology stories
talks about Epimetheus - the unreasonable and frivolous brother of the skillful and
prudent Prometheus, about Thanatos, the god of death, similar
on his twin brother Morpheus, the god of sleep (p.48). Ahuramazda, heads
god of Iranian mythology, creator of sixteen countries of goodness,
was considered the twin brother of the evil spirit Ahriman, the creator of sixteen evil countries.
However, twins are not always enemies, rivals, opposites. Many myths tell about their touching friendship and brotherly love. When one of the twins dies, the other resurrects him.
The Ashwin twins, heroes of Indian mythology, were skilled healers (p. 87). The twin brothers, good spirits from Chinese folk legends, “swept away” illness and misfortune from the house (p. 70.) Sincere love bound the inseparable brothers Castor and Pollux. The name of one of the zodiac constellations - Gemini - reminds us of these heroes of Greek mythology.
In different cultures, the mirror symbolized
different aspects of perception of the world. In one of
directions of Chinese Buddhism (Chan school,
7th century) the doctrine of “fasting” is associated with this symbol
foamy enlightenment." Human consciousness is up to
is added to the mirror, which needs to be wiped
from time to time, to allow dust and dirt to accumulate
on the surface without making it cloudy. Turning
Turning to historical evidence, we seem to
“we wipe” the mirror of our consciousness, erase from
it is dust that has accumulated over hundreds and thousands
years. That's probably why International Kong
Presses on the history of medicine in Bucharest (1970) and
in Barcelona (1980) they chose as an emblem a mirror, the handle of which is entwined
there is a snake. This image also became the emblem of the International History Society
medicine
Finishing the last chapter of the book dedicated to the history of medicine, we too will remember this ancient symbol. You can see a lot behind its simple outlines. You just have to remember to wipe the dust off the mirror...
05.03.2017
The snake is an ambiguous and complex symbol. In European culture, she personifies evil, death, cunning, sin, destruction, the devil. In the Garden of Eden, the Serpent tempted Eve with an apple, which ultimately led to the Fall. But on the other hand, this animal is a symbol of wisdom, renewal and revival of life. Why did a snake wrapping its tail around a bowl become a symbol of medicine and what does it mean?
Snakes are associated in part with healing, rebirth and renewal due to the ancient belief that they hold the secret of eternal life. The animal changes its skin to restore youth. A snake entwined around the gnarled staff of the ancient Greek god Asclepius (Aesculapius), who was capable of resurrecting the dead, was a symbol of healing.
The snake has become a medical sign due to the fact that it supposedly has knowledge inaccessible to the common man. Even the god Aesculapius learned the secrets of healing from her in a special way. In order to save a man's life, he had to turn into a snake, learn its secrets and return to his appearance. Using this knowledge, he healed with herbs. The emblem originally depicted the Aesculapian snake, a non-venomous snake.
The staff of Hermes (“the staff of the messenger”) is called the caduceus. He has not one, but two snakes on him. Hermes, the messenger of the gods (in Rome he was called Mercury), owned a winged staff with the power of reconciling enemies. When the messenger decided to test him by placing him between two fighting snakes, they immediately crawled onto the caduceus and wrapped their bodies around it. There they remained, coexisting peacefully.
Both mythological staffs - Asclepius and Caduceus - are used to designate professions related to medicine. The World Health Organization eventually replaced the staff in its logo with a needle.
According to another version, the snake as a symbol of healing appeared in Babylon in the 2nd century BC. The first images of a bowl with a snake have been known since 600 BC. e. But initially they were separate and belonged to the daughter of Aesculapius, the goddess of health Hygiea. She held them in different hands.
The snake wrapped around the bowl appeared in the 17th century thanks to the famous Swiss physician Paracelsus. During the Middle Ages, great importance was attached to snake venom as a substrate for the manufacture of medicines. Paracelsus was both a doctor and an alchemist, he had his own interest in these animals. In order for snakes to become valuable to him, they had to have poison.
That's why we see a cobra on the modern emblem. In combination with the cup, it warns doctors - do no harm. Every poison in microdoses can be a medicine, but in the wrong dosage it is fatal. In Russia, the emblem of medicine is called the “Hippocratic Cup”.
It appeared in the country under Peter I to designate a military medical unit. F.R. Borodulin spoke about its interpretation: “We are inclined to consider this emblem as a reminder to the doctor of the need to be wise, and to draw wisdom from the cup of knowledge of nature.” The cup here represents the human mind, which embraces the entire modern world.
There are many different medical emblems in the world. They are divided into general and private, the first of them mark healing in general, and the second - private medical areas. The signs of a red cross, a burning torch or candle, a heart in the palm, etc., are also symbols of medicine.
The modern emblem of medicine - a snake entwined around the leg of a bowl and bowing its head over the bowl itself - was approved in our country back in 1924, and then became widespread beyond its borders. Sharp-tongued medical students long ago came up with an interpretation for the sign of medicine: the symbol explains that the doctor is not simple, he is as cunning as a snake, and he is not a fool to drink. What is the origin of this sign?
The snake has accompanied doctors since ancient times. The legendary Greek doctor Asclepius (we know him better in Roman transcription - Aesculapius) was always depicted with a snake, because thanks to snakes he became not just a great doctor, but even a doctor-god, the patron of medicine. This is what the Greek myth says about it. Already very famous, Asclepius was invited by the Cretan king Minos to resurrect his dead son. The doctor was walking, leaning on his staff, when suddenly a poisonous snake wrapped itself around the staff. In fear, Asclepius killed her with a blow of his staff, but a second snake appeared, carrying some kind of grass in its mouth. The grass resurrected the dead. The brilliant doctor realized what was going on, found the herb that the snake had brought, and collected it and went to Crete, where he resurrected the son of King Minos with it.
Slab found in Ephesus depicting the symbol of medicine
Many researchers believe that the basis of “snake symbolism” in medicine is a person’s secret fear of snakes, the desire to appease the formidable “goddess of death” or scare away illness using the formidable appearance of a poisonous snake. In ancient legends there are often references to various mythical snake-like creatures that brought death to humans. At the same time, their body parts and poison were also considered strong and universal medicines. Pliny the Elder in “Natural History” wrote about the healing properties of ambisthena (Greek: “moving in two directions”) - a snake with two heads: one located in the usual place, the other on the tail: “... as if one head was not enough for it to spew your poison." The snake symbolized death and immortality, good and evil. They were personified by her forked tongue, the poisonousness of her bites, along with the healing effect of the poison, and the mysterious ability to hypnotize small animals and birds. This apparent contradiction, the combination in one image of two different, often opposing principles, is characteristic of symbols that have come to us from ancient times. Another example of this contradiction is the cup. Various hypotheses associate the origin of this healing emblem with the healing effects of water and the tradition of preparing medicines in a ritual bowl.
The first images of such a symbol of medicine were dated 800-600. BC. True, in those days the snake and the cup existed separately - in the right and left hands of the goddess of health Gaia. The emblem with a combination of a cup and a snake, which we are used to seeing, was proposed in the 16th century by the famous physician Paracelsus.
According to the Russian historian F.R. Borodulin, the cup symbolizes the vessel where the knowledge of nature is stored, which a wise doctor should draw from it. Officially, the cup with snakes was introduced as a distinctive sign of military medicine by Peter I. The emblem with a cup and snakes is widespread among pharmacists.
On the territory of Russia, an image with a snake entwining the leg of a bowl is still considered the emblem of the military medical troops.
But a bowl with a snake is not the only symbol of medicine used; there are others that are quite popular.
Staff of Asclepius
The origins of this medical emblem go back to the 6th century. BC and have Greek roots. The staff itself is a gnarled stick with a snake coiled around it.
The legend told above gave rise to the fact that the first international emblem of medicine depicted Asclepius holding a staff with a snake entwined in his hand.
In 1948, when the First World Health Assembly was held, the chairmen of the WHO chose as the emblem of the organization a staff studded with a snake, symbolizing medicine, which was depicted against the backdrop of a globe bordered by laurel branches - the UN emblem.
Caduceus (rod of Mercury)
In the mythology of ancient Greece, the “caduceus” meant the rod of Hermes (the messenger of the gods, in Roman mythology - Mercury). The rod was entwined with two snakes and crowned with wings. Snakes symbolized the interaction of opposites. Subsequently, the rod became a symbol of poise and virtue. Since the caduceus was an integral part of the image of the messenger, it also represented the protection of the secrecy of commercial and political correspondence.
However, in the emblem of medicine the rod appears as the “tree of life.” The two snakes entwining him symbolize the opposition between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and their interweaving means the unity of opposing forces.
Red cross and red crescent
The Red Cross was originally used as the emblem of the armed forces' medical service, which provided protection and assistance to the sick and wounded.
The use of the image and name of the red cross and red crescent is controlled by the Geneva Conventions of 1949, as well as their additional protocols of 1977.
In Muslim countries, instead of the red cross familiar to most European countries, the symbol of charitable assistance to the sick and wounded is the red crescent.
One of the founders of the famous red cross emblem was Henri Dunant, who in 1859 was impressed by the number of casualties in the Battle of Solferino. Then the army orderlies were unable to cope with the large number of wounded, and one of the reasons for this was the lack of any distinctive feature that could be identified by each of the conflicting parties.
Four years later, at the International Conference in Geneva, the emblem of societies for assisting wounded military personnel was adopted. This emblem became a red cross on a white background.
The Eastern Crisis (1875–1878) and the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) caused an influx of Red Cross personnel into Ottoman territory. But here the ICRC's activities were allowed only if the image of the cross on the emblem was changed to a crescent. As a result, at the Geneva Convention in 1949, the emblems of the red cross and red crescent on a white background were recognized as protective signs of military medical services.
Currently, in addition to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross, national societies and persons related to this organization are allowed to use the emblem of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. In wartime, the image of a red cross or crescent on a white background serves as a distinctive sign and protection of military medical units, as well as hospitals, clinics and vehicles providing assistance to those in need.
