THE GOD OF MEDICINE
Ascelpius is known as the Greco-Roman god of medicine and the healing arts. Unlike most other deities in the Greek pantheon, most literatures agree about who his parents were. Asclepius is the son of the god of sunlight; Apollo and a mortal woman named Coronis.
BIRTH OF A DOCTOR
Apollo and Coronis fell in love and the god got her pregnant. He soon had to leave town to attend to his godly duties, so he stationed a raven to watch over his beloved. While Apollo was away, Coronis got involved with a mortal man called Iskus. Apollo’s raven saw her infidelity and quickly flew to Mount Olympus to report to the god. The heat of his rage charred the Raven’s previously white feathers turning it black and that’s where Crows came from. The god then found his beloved and whilst still blinded by rage let loose a single arrow that struck her in the heart, killing her.
After his rage subsided, Apollo realized what he had done and felt remorse for murdering his beloved. The god decided to give her a proper burial. He made a pyre and set her body ablaze according to the burial rites of the time. While she burned, he remembered his child that was still in her womb.He cut her open to bring out the baby who was unharmed and untouched by the flames. Apollo then named this child Asclepius which literally means "to cut open". Ascelpius had been birthed through surgery, a Caesarean section performed on a burning corpse. If the nature of our births were omens about our future careers, it couldn’t have been clearer for the new demi-god
MEDICAL SCHOOL
After his birth, Apollo left him in the care of Chiron the Centaur. Chiron is thought to have trained many heroes of Greek mythology, so his school was the perfect institution for the demi-god. Chiron taught Asclepius the healing arts to which the demi-god was already naturally inclined; with his father also being the god of healing. He was a quick study and soon graduated from Chiron’s school for demi-gods with a medical degree.
CLINICAL PRACTICE
After graduation, Asclepius travelled Greece, healing all who came to him with ailments.He carried a staff with a serpent wound around it called the Rod of Asclepius which is considered the symbol of Medicine even in modern times.He improved in skill and knowledge; going on to discover and create many remedies to cure many different ailments; so much that there was almost no disease that he couldn’t find a way to make better either by making remedies from herbs or by performing surgery. He soon became famous all over Greece; so famous that royals and even some lesser known gods came to him for healing. One of such gods was Plutus the god of wealth who was made blind by Zeus so that he would distribute wealth without bias amongst mankind. Ascelpius was able to restore his sight and the god was overjoyed. His actions started attracting the attention of the elder gods of Olympus.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE OF CELESTIAL PROPORTIONS
There was no better Physician in the world than Asclepius; he even healed gods. He eventually became too good at his job when he discovered a way to bring back the dead. He found a way to cure death. This was what finally pushed the elder gods of Olympus into action. Hades reported this to Zeus as Asclepius’s actions made his job of collecting and managing the dead a very slow and boring business. People were no longer dying and Asclepius was growing in popularity even gathering a cult-like following. He was messing with the balance and order that Zeus had created and thus the King of the gods decided to punish him.
THE PHYSICIAN’S DEATH
Zeus struck down Ascelpius with a powerful thunderbolt that killed him instantly. Asclepius died by the hand of his grandfather as a mortal who could help others cheat death, but couldn’t avoid it himself.
Apollo on hearing the news of his son’s death, was furious. The hot-headed sun god sought out and kill the cyclops that make Zeus’s thunderbolts at the forge of Hephaestus (the blacksmith of the gods) in retaliation for his son’s death as he knew it would be foolish to challenge his father directly. Zeus punished Apollo by banishing him from Olympus for an extent of time.
IMMORTALITY AND GODHOOD
The death of Asclepius left a huge gap in the world and Zeus saw this. He considered that his actions may have been a bit over the top and decided to resurrect Ascelpius. This time not as a mortal but as an immortal; a god. Thus Asclepius became the god of Medicine and joined the Greek pantheon of gods. He is known as the patron god of physicians, surgeons and anyone involved in the healing arts.
RELEVANCE IN POPULAR CULTURE
The Rod of Asclepius is considered the symbol of Medicine by most physicians and other members of the medical community. This symbol is seen in the U.K paramedic logo and that of World Health Organization.
