Lately I have been really frustrated by the use of the Caduceus in modern medical symbolism, as opposed to the Rod of Asclepius. I was recently watching Fear Clinic and it appears in that series as well.
What do you think? Am I off my rocker or is it inappropriate for medical professionals to use the Caduceus as a symbol of their profession?
Just_Bri_ThanksSeething with ragefrom a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPAregular
edited March 2010
No one not DEEP into the medical profession could possibly care about this. I looked up both symbols on wikipedia, and even that tells me that there is a much debate over the topic.
But again, your man-on-the-street, if this was explained to them, would reply "so what?"
Just_Bri_Thanks on
...and when you are done with that; take a folding
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
0
Options
The Black HunterThe key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple,unimpeachable reason to existRegistered Userregular
edited March 2010
it seems the caduceus was adopted by a marines medical branch, which kinda fit for them, but it confused others and now it is more widespread
Lately I have been really frustrated by the use of the Caduceus in modern medical symbolism, as opposed to the Rod of Asclepius. I was recently watching Fear Clinic and it appears in that series as well.
What do you think? Am I off my rocker or is it inappropriate for medical professionals to use the Caduceus as a symbol of their profession?
One could also argue that the Rod of Asclepius is an inappropriate symbol itself, because it is actually a symbol of an ancient god, and medicine should be about science, not prayer.
Evander on
0
Options
Donkey KongPutting Nintendo out of business with AI nipsRegistered Userregular
edited March 2010
The Caduceus is so much more badass than the lame old Rod of Asclepius. Maybe if we want the rod to get better adoption, we should jazz it up a little. Make it pop!
I'm thinking some badass flame decals and maybe a lens flare.
Donkey Kong on
Thousands of hot, local singles are waiting to play at bubbulon.com.
One could also argue that the Rod of Asclepius is an inappropriate symbol itself, because it is actually a symbol of an ancient god, and medicine should be about science, not prayer.
You've got to have faith that
a) you're not carrying MRSA on your scrubs
b) the bed linens were actually sterilized since the last person was on them
c) there are no failures at any point in the chain of care to replace gloves/wash hands between patients
d) none of the equipment is contaminated
e) the patient isn't going to up and die for no good reason
f) if they're going to die, the do so on someone else's shift
The Caduceus is so much more badass than the lame old Rod of Asclepius. Maybe if we want the rod to get better adoption, we should jazz it up a little. Make it pop!
I'm thinking some badass flame decals and maybe a lens flare.
this is the logo of the organization that I volunteer for
yes, its based on the caduceus, yes thats some sort of historical travesty
the question you have to ask yourself is
is it badass? hell yes it is
do people recognize us as medical personnel and trust that we have their best interests at heart? yes they do
When I see the Caduceus, the wings make me think of swiftness as it relates to the timeliness of medicine - response times, triage, and the golden hour.
When I see the Asclepius, I can't help but imagine some old greek dude with a beard using it to tug a parasitic worm out of somebody's ass.
Okay, so it's not precisely historically accurate but who gives a shit?
Honestly, my preferred symbol is the Red Crystal. It's iconic, easily identified from a distance, and does not reference a particular religion.
My least favorite? The Red Cross. The cross as a symbol just sort of creeps me out in general - an instrument of execution should not be used as a symbol for people who intend to save lives.
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
Yeah, Red Crystal is a cool symbol. Red Cross and Red Crescent just annoy me due to the possible religious connotations that have jack shit to do with saving lives.
And the mythology nut in me just gets annoyed how people couldn't be bothered to do the slightest amount of research, picking the Caduceus instead of the rod of Asclepius. Both are symbols of gods without a following, so their connotations are the ones that should matter. One is a symbol of medicine, one is a symbol of a messenger. It's all a result of ignorance, nothing less.
Not a big deal, but if you're going to take symbol from Greco-Roman myths for medicine, pick the one that actually has any relation to the subject.
I am going to feel silly every time I put on my uniform now
There is going to be a burning desire to tell everyone at work that we're wearing a symbol of theft and deception that I shall have to withhold because nobody else will care
When I see the Caduceus, the wings make me think of swiftness as it relates to the timeliness of medicine - response times, triage, and the golden hour.
When I see the Asclepius, I can't help but imagine some old greek dude with a beard using it to tug a parasitic worm out of somebody's ass.
Okay, so it's not precisely historically accurate but who gives a shit?
Honestly, my preferred symbol is the Red Crystal. It's iconic, easily identified from a distance, and does not reference a particular religion.
My least favorite? The Red Cross. The cross as a symbol just sort of creeps me out in general - an instrument of execution should not be used as a symbol for people who intend to save lives.
The cross and crescent are practical despite that; easy to construct and highly visible from a distance. So's the crystal, but I've never seen it before today.
The Red Cross doesn't even register in my mind as remotely tied to Christianity or the executioner's tool; it just seems like a little plus sign raising your health. I have no problem with the Red Crystal though, although they might want to work on visibility because the first two google hits for Red Crystal pertain to WoW quests.
If I'm not mistaken, the Red Cross was derived from the Swiss flag, not directly from the Christian symbol. I'm sure most of the Swiss no longer consider their flag to be an explicitly Christian symbol.
Yeah, it doesn't really make a difference to me. Personally I like the red cross. It's not really the same as the Christian cross anyway, so I don't see the religious connotation. I mean shit, you wanna talk about bizarre connotations, why the fuck are so many snakes in hospitals?
Because snakes were seen since forever to be a symbol of renewal and healing, due to their habit of shedding their old skin every now and then, revealing new skin under the old, damaged one. The negative connotations came later, mostly through the bible.
I'm glad the OP brought this to our attention, but I think people should be more concerned about the Satanic connotations of the snakes in both symbols. The Caduceus in particular is truly disturbing, because not only does it have two snakes, these snakes are obviously homosexual (probably lesbians).
Posts
But again, your man-on-the-street, if this was explained to them, would reply "so what?"
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
I walked by a chelation clinic yesterday and almost walked in and chelated all over their floor
Highly.
It's silliness itself.
Perhaps, but in this case the whole situation arises solely out of ignorance.
Which is par for the course with language changes.
it's people mistakenly using the symbol of the silver tongued trickster instead of the symbol of hippocrates
but I hear it has negative connotations?
Death to all non-pedants.
Only people who hate the life-granting sun say that. And Jews.
yup
the Caduceus looks much cooler, anyway
seriously
whats cooler than one snake
2 snakes
and wings
I'm thinking some badass flame decals and maybe a lens flare.
You've got to have faith that
a) you're not carrying MRSA on your scrubs
b) the bed linens were actually sterilized since the last person was on them
c) there are no failures at any point in the chain of care to replace gloves/wash hands between patients
d) none of the equipment is contaminated
e) the patient isn't going to up and die for no good reason
f) if they're going to die, the do so on someone else's shift
or else you'll go crazy.
this is the logo of the organization that I volunteer for
yes, its based on the caduceus, yes thats some sort of historical travesty
the question you have to ask yourself is
is it badass? hell yes it is
do people recognize us as medical personnel and trust that we have their best interests at heart? yes they do
then really? who the hell cares
That uh...
Um...
Kinda looks like it should be penetrating something.
that is totally awesome
dk do all the graphic design for my company ever
There's a funny Star Trek joke there, but I'm too tired to think of it.
When I see the Caduceus, the wings make me think of swiftness as it relates to the timeliness of medicine - response times, triage, and the golden hour.
When I see the Asclepius, I can't help but imagine some old greek dude with a beard using it to tug a parasitic worm out of somebody's ass.
Okay, so it's not precisely historically accurate but who gives a shit?
Honestly, my preferred symbol is the Red Crystal. It's iconic, easily identified from a distance, and does not reference a particular religion.
My least favorite? The Red Cross. The cross as a symbol just sort of creeps me out in general - an instrument of execution should not be used as a symbol for people who intend to save lives.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
And the mythology nut in me just gets annoyed how people couldn't be bothered to do the slightest amount of research, picking the Caduceus instead of the rod of Asclepius. Both are symbols of gods without a following, so their connotations are the ones that should matter. One is a symbol of medicine, one is a symbol of a messenger. It's all a result of ignorance, nothing less.
Not a big deal, but if you're going to take symbol from Greco-Roman myths for medicine, pick the one that actually has any relation to the subject.
I had no idea
I am going to feel silly every time I put on my uniform now
There is going to be a burning desire to tell everyone at work that we're wearing a symbol of theft and deception that I shall have to withhold because nobody else will care
The cross and crescent are practical despite that; easy to construct and highly visible from a distance. So's the crystal, but I've never seen it before today.
I'm learning a lot from this thread
It looks like Lowly Worm licking a honey dipper.
Rod of Asclepius
Caduceus
Yeah, it doesn't really make a difference to me. Personally I like the red cross. It's not really the same as the Christian cross anyway, so I don't see the religious connotation. I mean shit, you wanna talk about bizarre connotations, why the fuck are so many snakes in hospitals?
I really hate how nazism hijacked the sun cross and the swastika. I think it's a really pretty symbol.
If anyone goes "olol you nazi" at this you're just proving my point.