Do you know who Doctor Livingstone was? Or what the caduceus symbol is? Often when I'm working on a new design, I like to do a bit of research. (It's the librarian in me!) I almost always learn something new and surprising. Here what I learned while making a new hand stamped keychain.
Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?
I needed a doctor's name to use as a sample for my new keychain, so I added the first one that popped into my head: Doctor Livingstone.
From a sample point of view, he had the perfect name, as the key chain shows exactly how many letters I can fit on the key chain in case someone wants this keychain customized with his or her own name. But who was he exactly? I did a little research and here's what I learned:
- David Livingstone (1813-1873) was a Scottish missionary known for his exploration of Africa. He opposed the slave trade and tried to find the source of the Nile. He theorized about malaria and mosquitoes. From the little reading I've done, he sounds like a man way ahead of his time. My favorite quote of his: "I'm prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward."
- The famous quote that you've probably heard ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume?") was uttered by Henry Stanley who went in search of Livingstone after he hadn't been hears from for months. I was happy to learn that this was a real quote and not something that only is used in movies or novels.
Caduceus
On this same key chain, I used my new stamp with a special symbol.
Like you, I've seen this symbol with two snakes and a pair of wings all over the place: hospitals, doctor's offices, ambulances. It's commonly used in the medical world. Or so I thought. Here's what I learned about it:
- It turns out it's not universal. It became widely used as a symbol of physicians in the U.S. after it was adopted by the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1902.
- It's first known use was in 1577.
- The caduceus is associated with the Greek god Hermes, known for being the god of thieves, travelers, and tricksters among others. It is similar in look to the Rod of Asclepius, which belongs to Aesculapius, the god of healing. Most international organizations such as the World Health Organization use this second symbol. Commercial medical organizations are particularly apt to use the first symbol. Yes, the one that relates to thieves and tricksters!
- Both symbols use snakes in part because snakes shed their skins which symbolizes longevity and immortality.
Resources
- Biography - David Livingstone
- Livingstone's 1871 Field Diary - UCLA Library
Livingstone ran out of paper and wrote on an old newspaper using an ink he made out of berries. As you can imagine, the original is fragile and practically unreadable, but scholars have made the original text available online. - The Lost Diary of Dr. Livingstone, Episode of Secrets of the Dead, PBS series. Originally aired March 26, 2014.
- Encyclopedia Britannica - caduceus
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary - caduceus
- Things you don't learn in medical school by M Prakash and J. Carlton Johnny
J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015 Apr; 7 (Suppl 1): S49–S50.
- Slithery Medical Symbolism by Donald G. McNeil, Jr., New York Times, March 8, 2005.