The Origin of "Snake Emblem"
"Snakes around crutches"-the symbol and emblem of medicine, called "snake emblem". The snake emblem has a long history and has a specific meaning. Homer, a great Greek poet, praised Ascleber, a folk doctor, as a great and perfect doctor in his epic. Legend has it that he was the son of Apollo who was regarded as the god of medicine in 400 BC. Ascui Rabo is a solemn, gentle and kind doctor. He traveled around the world with a wand wrapped in a snake in his hand, saving lives. Because of his superb medical skills and kindness, he is particularly popular. Later generations took the "crutch snake" as a medical symbol out of reverence for the imperial doctor and the snake, and to commemorate the origin of the snake emblem, Askero Bo. It is said that the staff of God means to travel around the world and treat people, while the snake is a symbol of health and longevity. Greece is the birthplace of the snake emblem, which has spread all over Greece since ancient times. In modern times, the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and the United Nations World Health Organization all regard the snake emblem as their medical symbol. Before 1950s, the emblem of China Chinese Medical Association also had a snake emblem. 1The cover of Chinese Medical Journal published in April, 948 is an eye-catching snake emblem. To this day, snakes are still the symbol of western medical workers. This is why some medical schools have the image of snakes on their school badges. On street buildings in European cities, we can often see such a strange sign: a snake is wrapped around a goblet. This is the symbol of European pharmacies. This sign is similar to "snake around the dancing stick". Why do pharmacies in European countries use snakes as signs? It turns out that thousands of years ago, human beings knew the medicinal value of poisonous snakes, collected them purposefully, refined them into drugs, and used them to cure diseases and save lives. In the works of ancient Roman painters and artists, there are almost scenes depicting the god of health feeding snakes with cups in his hands. Whether in real life or in artistic creation, snakes have an indissoluble bond with medicine. Therefore, since the Middle Ages, pharmacies in European countries began to show this sign. Snakes symbolize the ability to save human beings, and goblets represent the tools for human beings to collect snake venom.