The caduceus is still used by the Army Medical Corps for its insignia, but now uses the Rod of Asclepius as its main symbol. The Rod of Asclepius is a reference to the Greek mythological figure Asclepius. The Caduceus (left) as the symbol for the U.S. Army Medical Corps and the rod of Asclepius (right) as the symbol for emergency services. This increased its popularity and now both rods represent medicine in the United States. The Caduceus is a winged staff with two snakes intertwined around it. Well, here’s what happened: Confusion of the Staff of Asklepios with the Caduceus As time went on, the Staff of Asclepius began to emerge … Which is the traditional symbol of healing? As it can be understood clearly, the Rod of Asclepius and the Caduceus symbols differ in many regards and represent different things. The Rod of Caduceus was adopted by the US Army Medical Corps in 1902. Friedlander theorized that healthcare professionals are more likely to have a real understanding of the two symbols, whereas commercial organizations are more likely to be concerned with the visual impact a symbol will have. This increased its popularity and now both rods represent medicine in the United States. Asclepius was thought to possess healing powers. The staff with one snake wrapped around it, called the Rod of Asclepius, or the staff with two snakes wrapped around it, called the Staff of Hermes or caduceus? Professionals tended to use the rod of Asclepius while commercial organizations use the Caduceus symbol. I would guess that it is partly due to the symmetrical caduceus being more attractive, with wings , rather than a rather ugly single staff and single snake. The Caduceus is the symbol of the god of the market place, Hermes. These two symbols are of Greek origin and are considered to be staffs of the gods Hermes and Asclepius. In ancient times a Greek or Roman would have considered such confusion to be heresy! The wiki article seemingly attributes fault to the American medical community in wrongly adopting the symbol caduceus, when it more rightly should use the rod of Asclepius as a symbol of medicine. There are two symbols that have been associated with medicine; The Caduceus and The Asclepius Rod. The Rod of Asclepius vs. the Caduceus. The caduceus of Hermes has two snakes and is winged. Knowing the history of the symbols, it is difficult to see how this confusion occurred. In Greece, Caduceus (double snakes)is held by Hermes, who is like you said the herald of the gods. The doctors' staff is the Rod of Asclepius, Asclepius being a Greek god associated with medicine and healing. The rod of Asclepius is a rod with a single snake coiled around it. Today, the Caduceus is often used as a symbol of medicine in place of the Staff of Asklepios. Osteopathic medical schools adopt Rod of Asclepius as their symbol. In US, there are two different systems of medical schools. The Rod of Asclepius consists of a single serpent wound around a staff (as pictured above). The Caduceus is a winged staff with two snakes intertwined around it. The exception was hospitals, where only 37% used a Rod of Asclepius and 63% for the Caduceus. Probably just a series of mistakes that have been perpetuated. According to PubMed, only 6% of physicians know the difference.