Medical symbol: A rod or staff that has a snake wrapped around it. It is the rod or staff of Aesculapius, the ancient deity of medicine also known as Asklepios. His Roman name was Aesculapius, while his Greek name was Asklepios. Asklepios may have actually existed, and he was known for his gentle, compassionate cures and his compassionate handling of the mentally sick. His adherents built temples known as asclepions, Asklepios temples, and temples of healing. The most famous asklepion was in a grove of trees south of Corinth, Greece, where the sick were forced to stay overnight while the right treatments were revealed to the temple priests in dreams, and the recovered were required to offer a sufficient sacrifice to the god (often a rooster).Hygieia, the goddess of health (from whose name the term “hygiene” derives), and Panaceia, the goddess of healing, are among the mythological offspring of Asculapius (from whose name comes the word “panacea” for a universal remedy). The staff of Aesculapius is still a widely recognised medical emblem today. It serves as the emblem for numerous medical associations, including the American Medical Association (AMA).

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