Caduceus
caduceus
ca·du·ceus kə-ˈdü-sē-əs
-ˈdyü-,
-shəs
pluralcaducei kə-ˈdü-sē-ˌī
-ˈdyü-,
-shē-
1:the symbolic staff of a herald
specifically :a representation of a staff with two entwined snakes and two wings at the top
2:a medical insignia bearing a representation of a staff with two entwined snakes and two wings at the top:
a:one sometimes used to symbolize a physician but often considered to be an erroneous representation compare STAFF OF ASCLEPIUS
b:the emblem of a medical corps or a department of the armed services (as of the United States Army)
Some accounts suggest that the oldest known imagery of the caduceus has its roots in Mesopotamia with the Sumerian god Ningishzida; his symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000 BC to 3000 BC.[3]
As a symbolic object, it represents Hermes (or the Roman Mercury), and by extension trades, occupations, or undertakings associated with the god.
In later Antiquity, the caduceus provided the basis for the astronomical symbol for planet Mercury.
Thus, through its use in astrology, alchemy, and astronomy it has come to denote the planet Mercury and by extension the planetary metal that now has the same name.
It is said the wand would wake the sleeping and send the awake to sleep.
If applied to the dying, their death was gentle; if applied to the dead, they returned to life.[4]