For Isaac Newton to discover the law of gravity, he must have acted like a ‘clever fool’.
You see, if a fruit gets detached from the tree, it should ‘obviously’ come down.
But for the father of Physics, there was definitely a reason as to why the fruit didn’t go up, or sideways.
Thanks to his curiosity, we all know why this happens.
Now! If you’ve ever seen the World Health Organization or American Medical Association logo, or the “star of life” on the side of an ambulance, you might have wondered what a snake wrapped around a stick has to do with those who fix what ails us.
Well, that stick is the asklepian, or rod of Asclepius, according to multiple online sources.
In ancient Greek mythology, Asclepius was the son of Apollo, and the god of medicine and healing.
Depending on which historian you ask, he may have even been based on an actual historical doctor whose skills became so exaggerated that patients formed a cult around him.
The snake that’s wrapped around the rod may symbolize rejuvenation, because snakes shed their skin, or it could simply represent the healing of snakebites.
It might also have something to do with antivenom or the medicinal properties of snake venoms.
The rod itself has more to do with medicine than the fact that a doctor-god carried it, though the explanations for the connection vary.
It could be a reference to a traditional treatment of a parasitic nematode called Dracunculus medinensis or Guinea worm, sources further say.
The worm causes blisters on whatever limb it takes up residence in, which can be quite painful judging from the ancient Latin name for the infection: “affliction with little dragons.”
To remove the parasite, doctors would cut a slit in the skin right in its path and, when it poked its head from the wound, take a small stick and slowly wrap the worm around it until the “little dragon” was fully removed.
Elsewhere in the Bible, we are told that when snakes bit the Israelites during their journey in the desert, they turned to Moses, who was equally at a loss on what to do.
In the book of Numbers 21:8, we are told, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and mount it on a pole. When one who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”
“So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live,” adds verse 9.
Next time you see something, don’t assume but be curious to know why it is there.
Indeed, everything in this world has a reason, if only you look for it diligently.
Piece built with material published online.
