CADUCEUS (κηρύκειον, κηρύκιον, ῥάβδος или σκῆπτρον) symbol Patch (colors)
The caduceus (☤; /kəˈduːsiːəs/ or /kəˈdjuːʃəs/; from Greek κηρύκειον kērukeion "herald's staff"[2] ) is the staff carried by Hermes Trismegistus in Egyptian mythology and Hermes in Greek mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, guide of the dead and protector of merchants, shepherds, gamblers, liars, and thieves.[3]
Some accounts suggest that the oldest known imagery of the caduceus
have their roots in a Mesopotamian origin with the Sumerian god Ningishzida whose symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000 B.C. to 3000 B.C.[4]
As a symbolic object, it represents Hermes (or the Roman Mercury),
and by extension trades, occupations, or undertakings associated with
the god. In later Antiquity, the caduceus provided the basis for the astrological symbol representing the planet Mercury. Thus, through its use in astrology and alchemy, it has come to denote the elemental metal
of the same name. It is said the wand would wake the sleeping and send
the awake to sleep. If applied to the dying, their death was gentle; if
applied to the dead, they returned to life.[5]
By extension of its association with Mercury and Hermes, the caduceus
is also a recognized symbol of commerce and negotiation, two realms in
which balanced exchange and reciprocity are recognized as ideals.[6][7] This association is ancient, and consistent from the Classical period to modern times.[8]
The caduceus is also used as a symbol representing printing, again by
extension of the attributes of Mercury (in this case associated with
writing and eloquence).
The caduceus is often used incorrectly as a symbol of healthcare organizations and medical practice (especially in North America), due to confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and is never depicted with wings.
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