The Asclepius: The Ancient Standard of Physicians

To the Editor: The cover explanation in the March 2011 issue of the Journal erroneously identifies the Caduceus as “the ancient standard of physicians.” The Caduceus, a winged staff with two intertwined snakes, was the magical staff of the Greek god Hermes and the Roman god Mercury. They were the gods of “commerce, eloquence, invention, travel, and theft—symbols of heralds and commerce” (1). The Journal is not alone in using the Caduceus instead of the more traditional symbol of medicine, the single-snaked staff of Asclepius (2). It was the ancient Greek physician Asclepius who was deified as the god of medicine (3).