The image of a bowl with a snake is the most common medical emblem in Russia. It replaced another, more ancient symbol - the so-called caduceus, which is an image of a staff entwined with snakes. The answer to the question of why the snake became a symbol of medicine must be sought in ancient Greek mythology.
Caduceus of Hermes
There are 2 versions of the appearance of a snake in medical symbolism. The first version of the emblem included the image of a winged staff entwined with two snakes. It was believed that the staff once belonged to Hermes, known primarily as the god of trade. However, each of the Olympian gods had many functions. Hermes was considered a mediator between gods and people and a guide to the kingdom of the dead. In addition, he provided patronage to travelers, and this made him related to medicine, since in the distant times of antiquity, healers were forced to walk huge distances to help a patient. One of the most famous attributes of Hermes was his famous winged sandals. Apparently, it was from them that the wings passed to the staff.
According to one of the legends, the winged staff was presented to Hermes by Apollo, according to another - by the great Zeus himself. Initially, the staff was braided with two snow-white ribbons. Only later did snakes appear instead. Legend has it that once Hermes, with the help of a staff, separated two fighting snakes, after which they peacefully coiled around him and remained there.
Staff of Asclepius
In an earlier version of the medical symbol, the staff did not have wings, and only one snake wrapped around it. The staff belonged to the son of Apollo, the god of medicine Asclepius, who not only possessed the gift of a healer, but also knew how to bring the dead back to life. However, Asclepius himself was not immortal, because his mother was a mortal beauty - Princess Koronis.
According to one version, Zeus was afraid that, thanks to Asclepius, people would become immortal, like gods, and cease to obey them. The main Olympic god was not distinguished by mercy, and therefore he dealt with Asclepius, striking him with a lightning strike. Another version of the myth portrays Zeus as more humane and fair. In it, Asclepius was punished for taking money from the people he had resurrected. Zeus turned the money-loving god into the constellation Ophiuchus, and now Asclepius looks at the world from heaven.
However, people still kept in their hearts gratitude to the lost deity, and in memory of him they began to use snakes in healing rituals. As you know, snakes periodically shed their old skin, and therefore are considered a symbol of rebirth. The Greeks revered them as sacred, and used snake venom in the manufacture of medicinal drugs.
It is not known exactly when the image of a bowl with a snake came to replace the staff, but it also originated in Greece. There, with a snake in one hand and a bowl in the other, the daughter of Asclepius, the goddess of health, Hygea, was depicted.
