Staff of Aesculapius
- Solid Bronze Plaque
- 5.75 x 3.75 inches
- Made in Germany
- Gift Box Included
Ships In: 1-3 business days
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Product Description
This solid bronze symbol of the medical oath of integrity titled Staff of Aesculapius (or caduceus) is an ideal gift for all the “healers” in our lives, especially therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and clinicians. Thank the professional healer who significantly helped you or your loved one with this gift, a symbol of healing known the world over.
A Wall Plaque for the Healer in Your Life
This solid bronze plaque is 5.75 inches long and 3.75 inches wide. This plaque hangs easily on any wall in the office or at home. Conceived and forged in Germany by a master bronzesmith, this is an excellent gift for that special doctor, therapist, surgeon, nurse or nurse practitioner in your life!
Symbol of Medicine – Staff of Asklepios – Staff of Aesculapius
This plaque depicts the Staff of Aesculapius (Asklepios), an ancient Greek symbol of healing (for more on this, go to the History/Story tab). This solid bronze plaque is an ideal gift for all the “healers” in our lives, especially therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and clinicians.
The Staff of Aesculapius is a rod or stick with the snake curled around. It is the staff (or rod) of Aesculapius (also called Asklepios), the ancient god of medicine. His Greek name was Asklepios and his Roman name Aesculapius.
In reality, Aesculapius may have been a real person who was renowned for his gentle, humane remedies and his humane treatment of the mentally ill. His followers established temples called asclepions, temples of Asklepios, temples of healing. The greatest asklepion was in a grove of trees south of Corinth, Greece where the sick had to spend a night while the proper remedies were revealed during a dream to the priests of the temple and the cured had to make a suitable sacrifice (usually a rooster) to the god.
According to mythology, Aesculapius had a number of children including Hygieia, the goddess of health (from whose name comes the word “hygiene”) and Panaceia, the goddess of healing (from whose name comes the word “panacea” for a universal remedy).
Today, the staff of Aesculapius is a commonly used symbol of medicine. It is the symbol of the American Medical Association (AMA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), and many other professional medical societies.
Many “medical” organisations use a symbol of a short rod entwined by two snakes and topped by a pair of wings, which is actually the caduceus or magic wand of the Greek god Hermes (Roman Mercury), messenger of the gods, inventor of (magical) incantations, conductor of the dead and protector of merchants and thieves. It is derived from the Greek karykeion (“herald’s staff”).
Walter Friedlander surveyed 242 logos or insignias of American organizations relating to health or medicine in which the caduceus or staff of Aesculapius formed an integral part dating from the late 1970s to early 1980s. He found that professional associations were more likely to use the staff of Aesculapius (62%) while commercial organizations were more likely to use the caduceus (76%). The exception is for hospitals, where only 37% used a staff of Aesculapius versus 63% for the caduceus. This makes sense since U.S. hospitals are usually commercial ventures. Friedlander notes that while the prevalent use of the caduceus for the commercial aspects of medicine might be seen as “more-or-less appropriate”, he thinks the reason is that professional associations are more likely to have a real understanding of the two symbols, whereas commercial organizations are more likely to be concerned with the visual impact a symbol will have in selling their products. Walter J. Friedlander, The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine, New York, Greenwood, 1992.
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Additional Information
| Weight | 0.94 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7.25 x 5.25 x 1.25 in |
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