Mercury, the Roman god, is identical with the Greek god Hermes and was considered the god of diplomacy, arts, sciences, commerce, gain and riches, especially of sudden and unexpected riches and of good luck at the games. He was usually represented with a purse in one hand, his magic caduceus in the other, and was supposed to preside over the commerce of the Romans. The magic caduceus of Mercury is an evolution of the staff of Hermes, and the original caduceus or staff was an olive branch with garlands. Later ribbons were substituted for the garland and finally mythologists transformed the ribbons and garlands into snakes, about which others, like Hyginus, invented various tales, one of them being that Hermes found two snakes fighting in a garden and, dividing them with his wand, chose this as a symbol of the quarrels which it was his duty to assist in settling. After a time a pair of wings was added to the staff to indicate the speed of Mercury as a divine messenger; it also became a symbol of power that produced wealth and was supposed to be an enchanted wand of prosperity. Owing to the fact that Mercury’s wand is used by the United States Army and by some medical publishers, and is to be placed on the ambulances of some New York hospitals, it would appear to be the proper emblem; but, studying the references which we have just gone over, we learn that it is more adapted to merchants, delivery wagons and steamships and is a commercial device. With the knowledge that the red cross and Mercury’s wand are incorrect emblems, what, then, shall we consider the true insignia for the healing art? The medical profession should be proud of the fact that a symbol has been handed down from ages past, though it was lost to some extent by those who forgot history and our traditions and desired something new for a device. The true ancestral symbol of the healing art is the knotty rod and serpent of Esculapius. Delving into the history of this symbol we find a veritable mine of facts which will convince us that we have a heritage worthy of our profession. It is customary to trace the history of medicine back to the story of Esculapius, whom the Greeks elevated to the position of the god of medicine. He was revered and worshipped throughout Greece, but the great center of healing was at Epidaurus, where a beautiful temple was built to his honor in which his statue by the sculptor Thrasymedes stood. This statue, of gold and ivory, the head bearded and surrounded with rays, a knotty stick in one hand, the other entwined by a serpent, gives us the original symbol of the healing art.