Theories of the Origin of the Medicine Symbol

Theories of the Origin of the Medicine Symbol

The caduceus is a medicine symbol. It is a staff with two snakes coiled around it facing each other. There are many different views on how the medical symbol came to be. A lot of them are mythological. The caduceus is often recognized the god Hermes (Mercury). Some even refer to the bible for the origin of the symbol. The only thing that we know for sure is that they are symbols of medicine and healing.

Another version of the story is with Hermes (Mercury). In ancient Greece, the Caduceus was carried by heralds and ambassadors as a mark of personal inviolability (Zvi). Caduceus was the magic rod of the God Hermes that had winged sandals. Myth says Hermes once threw his magic wand at two snakes fighting on the ground (Zvi). The snakes then became entangled in the magic wand and have been attached to it ever since (Zvi). In Roman mythology, the Caduceus has been given to the God Mercury by the God Apollo (Zvi). The original wand carried by Hermes and Aesculapius, the God of Medicine is classically characterized as a single serpent encircling a rough hewn tree branch. The Caduceus has become a symbol of Medical Profession (Zvi).

On the other hand Tom Donahue believes that the origin comes from the bible. He says that the actual historical reason for the symbol is found in Numbers 22, where Moses is commanded by God to place a flaming serpent on a standard and all who looked upon it would be healed. That symbol has evolved into the modern medical symbol found everywhere which shows a serpent entwining a staff (Origin of Sym. & Staff). Another supposed origin of the symbol is in folklore about the origin of Kungfu (it’s not only a martial art, but therapeutic and healing). In the folklore, a Buddhist monk observed a crane fighting a snake and designed exercises to emulate their motions (Fenkl). The bird seems already integral to the serpent and rod equation, and it becomes more prominent in other symbology, eventually becoming combined with the serpent (Fenkl).

Although there are many different version of how the symbol came to be, the important thing is what it represents. What it represents is healing.

Works Cited Page

Donahue, Tom. "Origin of the Symbol and the Staff in Medicine." MadSci. 05 Nov. 1999. 5 Dec. 2007 http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/nov99/941826463.Me.q.html.

Fenkl, Heinz I. "Caduceus." Endicott. 2000. 05 Dec. 2007 http://www.endicott- studio.com/rdrm/forcaduc.html.

Zvi, Neomi. "Caduceus." Israeli Paramedics Association. Feb. 2000. 05 Dec. 2007 http://www.geocities.com/neomi59/Caduceus.html.

Doctors of Medicine & Doctors of Osteopathic

There are two basic types of medical training: Allopathic and Osteopathic. Traditional medical schools offering graduates an MD degree are Allopathic. Medical schools offering a DO degree are Osteopathic. The difference between osteopathic doctors and medical doctors is hard to decipher. Allopathic medicine is the treatment of disease using conventional medical therapies, as opposed to the use of alternative medical or non-conventional therapies (osteopathic medicine). Osteopathic medicine is a branch of medicine based on the premise that the primary role of the physician is to accelerate the body's inherent ability to heal itself. These two branches have a lot in common but are also notably different.

The curricula of Osteopathic and Allopathic schools are nearly identical. State licensing agencies and most hospitals and residency programs recognize the degrees as equivalent. This means that Osteopathic doctors are legally and professionally equivalent to medical doctors. Both D.O.s and M.D.s typically have a four year undergraduate degree prior to medical training. They both have spent four-years in medical education. Both take the MCAT and are subject to a rigorous application process. Like M.D.s, D.O.s, choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine and complete a residency program that ranges from three to seven years. Some D.O.s complete the same residency programs as their M.D. counterparts. D.O.s perform surgery, deliver children, treat patients, prescribe medications and work in the same settings as M.D.s. Osteopathic Doctors use the same tools, treatments and technologies of medicine as M.D.s. Both doctors must pass a state licensing exam to practice medicine.

Generally, D.O. schools are more open to the non-traditional candidate. M.D. students take the USMLE exam and D.O. students take the COMLEX exam. D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, which make up the nerves, muscles and bones of a person. Although