Hippocratic bowl
The Hippocratic bowl is a symbol wide-known all around the world as it is a typical symbol of pharmacy. Have you ever thought about the reasons for this symbol became a symbol of pharmacy, and why this symbol is an international one? It is so, as the Hippocratic bowl is one of the most ancient symbols and its history begins at times of ancient Babylon. The healers of the ancient Babylon used this symbol to denote their profession.
According to one of the theories about the appearance of this symbol the snake is a symbol of wisdom and the bowl is a symbol of water. The snake symbolise skilfulness of a healer and his wisdom, so, it is a sign that one is rather skilful doctor and is able to cure people. Though, a belief of ancient people was a belief based on faith for gods, and so they were sure that no man is able to do something without a help of gods. So, the bowl is a symbol of gods' help.
The historian say that a bowl is a symbol of sweet water people received as it was raining. The only possible way to collect that water was hands coupled together as a bowl. So, as people were travelling the desert and was in a lack of water they collected the sweet water during the rain with their hands coupled together. The water was considered as a help of gods and the hands coupled together were considered as the only possible way to receive that help. So, the bowl in the Hippocratic bowl is a symbol of help of gods they send for those who do their best to cure people.
According to another theory the snake in the Hippocratic bowl symbol is a dual symbol. The snake's tongue was considered as a symbol of duality of the world, as a symbol of life and death and as a symbol of good and evil. Another feature of that symbol that characterised the duality of the world is snake venom. The venom of a snake may be both a medicine for people and a poison. So, snake venom can cure people or kill them.
A symbol of snake twisted around the crook is a variety of Hippocratic bowl. It is an extremely different symbol, though it is another symbol typical for pharmacy. The image of snake has the same meaning with the meaning of snake in the Hippocratic bowl symbol, though the meaning of crook is different from the meaning of bowl. It is a symbol of earth and wandering of healers. It is called a crook of Asclepius. The crook was also a means to prove people that a doctor is rather skilful one. People trusted old doctors more and so the healers used the crook in order to show that they are old and skilful healers. As you can see, the meaning of symbols typical for pharmacy is rather interesting and has intricate history.