Welcome to The Clash of the medical symbol Titans.

But first some really good news: health experts are predicting that Guinea worm disease, one of the great scourges of humanity, may finally be eradicated in 2010.  Guinea worm is a nasty parasite that enters humans through dirty drinking water, grows up to 3 feet long, and finally erupts through the skin in a viciously painful blister.  Dreaded since ancient times, Guinea worm is referenced many times in the Bible as the "fiery serpent."


The traditional treatment for Guinea worm has been to cut open the blister, coax the worm to wrap itself around a small stick, and then very slowly pull it out.  It's a horrifying but effective method that hasn't changed in millennia.  In fact, the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius, was symbolized by a snake wrapped around a stick, a likely reference to Guinea worm treatment.  That symbol - the Staff of Asclepius - has since become synonymous with medicine itself.  You've seen it a thousand times, on everything from prescription bottles to the logos of the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association.

But some of you might be saying, "I thought that symbol had TWO snakes."  And you'd be right, some of the time.  Hermes, the Greek god of information and commerce, had as HIS symbol a staff topped with a pair of wings, and wrapped with two fluttering ribbons, to symbolize his speed.  Over time, the ribbons evolved into two snakes, and the symbol became known as the Caduceus of Hermes.  In the 16th century, alchemists - who called themselves "sons of Hermes" - adopted it.  Since then, though alchemy has been discredited, the Caduceus has been taken up as a symbol of pharmacology, chemistry and, yes, medicine.   Today it's on the logos of dozens of pharmaceutical and medical companies and institutions. 

So what's your poison, one snake or two?  Staff, or Caduceus?  The Staff symbol is used more by medical practitioners, while the Caduceus symbol is used more by corporations.  This has led some to cynically suggest that while Asclepius' is all about the patient, Hermes is all about the profit.  (Sounds like the health care debate, don't it?)

But, hey, with the end of Guinea worm, this is a time for celebration, not conflict.  So we suggest the following:  you, Asclepius, doctor-dude, go finish off that snake.  And you, Hermes, messenger-boy, run around and tell everyone about it.

The worm is dead; praise the gods.

You can read previous installments of the quick Sliver in our online archive.  Just go here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs015/1103023679528/archive/1103033975377.html