Definition of Staff of Aesculapius

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Staff of Aesculapius: A rod or stick with the snake curled around it is the staff (the rod) of Aesculapius (also called Asklepios or Asclepius), the ancient god of medicine. His Greek name was Asklepios and his Roman name Aesculapius.

In reality, Asklepios may have been a real person who was renowned for his gentle, humane remedies and his humane treatment of the mentally ill. His followers established temples called asclepions, temples of Asklepios, temples of healing. The greatest asklepion was in a grove of trees south of Corinth, Greece where the sick had to spend a night while the proper remedies were revealed during a dream to the priests of the temple and the cured had to make a suitable sacrifice (usually a rooster) to the god.

According to mythology, Asculapius had a number of children including Hygieia, the goddess of health (from whose name comes the word "hygiene") and Panaceia, the goddess of healing (from whose name comes the word "panacea" for a universal remedy). Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionary
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7946
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM