staff of aesculapius

Main Entry: staff of Aes·cu·la·pi·us
Pronunciation: -"es-ky&-'lA-pE-&s
Function: noun
: a conventionalized representationof a staff branched at the top with a single snake twined around it that is used as a symbol of medicine and as the official insignia of the American Medical Association called also Aesculapianstaff; —compare CADUCEUS a
Aesculapius or Asácleápiáus /as-'klE-pE-&s/,mythological character. Aesculapius was the god of medicine in Greek and Roman mythology. Snakes were the god's sacred emblems, and the god was believed to be incarnate in them. According to myth, thechief god Zeus struck him with a lightning bolt for daring to bring the dead back to life.

staff of Aesculapius staff of Aes·cu·la·pi·us (ěs'kyə-lā'pē-əs)
n.
A rod with a single serpent twining around it, used as the symbol of medicine.