A winged staff with two serpents wound around it, originally the attribute of Hermes (Mercury), the messenger god.
Also known as: Herald's staff
Sometimes confused with: The medical symbol
Historically a symbol of Hermes/Mercury associated with commerce, negotiation and heralds, the caduceus became widely — but historically inaccurately — adopted as a medical emblem in the 19th and 20th centuries, notably by the U.S. Army Medical Corps, causing lasting confusion with the single-snake Rod of Asclepius.
Originally an attribute of Hermes (Greek) / Mercury (Roman), the messenger god, associated with commerce, negotiation and heralds.
Ancient Greece and Rome · Contexts: History
Widely used as a symbol of medicine in the United States — for example as the U.S. Army Medical Corps insignia since 1902 — a usage many historians and medical bodies consider a historical mix-up rather than a mythologically meaningful medical symbol.
Some organisations retain the caduceus for institutional/historical continuity even though the mix-up is well documented; the Rod of Asclepius is the mythologically correct medical symbol.
United States · 19th century onward · Contexts: Medicine
A vertical staff topped with a pair of wings, with two snakes wound around it, crossing at intervals.
Both are built from animals, and both are used in history and medicine contexts.
Both are built from animals, and both are used in history and medicine contexts.