Symbols, sculptures, the US Army Medical Corps, and a building in Atlanta
***I do not mean to offend anyone through my blog posts. These are simply exaggerated versions of my opinions written both for my benefit and for your entertainment.***
Being in the medical profession, I have seen something everyday that frustrates me to no end. Something so wrong and inaccurate that stands out like a sore thumb wherever I go. An error that was made in 1902 by two Americans that has plagued medical professions throughout North America for over a century.
If you've ever walked down Jesse Hill Jr Drive in Atlanta, Georgia, you would have likely walked by Grady Memorial Hospital; a large, modern looking, level I trauma center. It is home to the Faculty of Medicine of Emory University, as well as the Morehouse School of Medicine. With so much education and learning, its ironic that such an abomination stands right across the street.
On the other side of Jesse Hill Jr Drive stands a much less known building: The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. Greeting visitors and passers-by along the side of this building are two large sculptures. The first is artistic and pleasing. It goes nicely with the theme of the area.
Hygieia is the Greek goddess of health, daughter of Asclepius (god of medicine) and Epione (goddess of soothing of pain). Here, in the first picture, she is shown fending off time and old age.
However, as you continue to walk along the building, you will come across a more disturbing sculpture that makes no sense at all.
In this darker sculpture, we see the personification of death wielding a scythe fighting Hermes, the Greek god of transitions and boundaries, messenger to the gods, and conductor of souls to the afterlife. You can understand my initial confusion upon seeing this. Why is Hermes fighting death? He’s supposed to guide the dead after they die.
Of course, my confusion was shared by few others. In fact, almost everyone will think that this second depiction is clever and artistic. Unfortunately, they all miss the fundamental error that has plagued medical history and symbology for over 100 years.
Symbol 1 is a caduceus. It is the staff of Hermes, also known as Mercury to the Romans, and it does not represent medicine. I cannot count how many times I see this symbol used incorrectly in medicine. It is a herald staff. I feel that if you’re going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars commissioning a work of art, or designing a symbol for your hospital, you should at least know what the symbols mean.
Symbol 2 is very simple. It is the rod of Asclepius, god of medicine. The god of medicine holds this staff. Therefore, it was adopted for the symbol of medicine. What more explanation do you need than that?
Unfortunately, people don’t do their research when making important decisions.
It all started in 1902. Two, presumably uneducated, Americans mistook one symbol and caused a cascade of confusion. Captain Frederick P. Reynolds of the US Army and Brig. Gen. William G. H. Forwood (US Surgeon General) adopted the caduceus as the symbol for the US Army Medical Corps.
Since then, their stupidity has rained down on all the medical professions with all sorts of medical organizations adopting this erroneous emblem. Through the past year, I've met many health care professionals wearing necklaces and pins, and even tattoos of the caduceus. If you’re reading this right now and you have this tattooed on your body, I implore you to go to the following link: http://bit.ly/yQTbzC.
Next time you see someone with a caduceus, and you don’t have the heart to tell them, do the world a favor, and bring them to my blog.
