5 ms·
I remember a story about a worm that is extracted using a stick: the worm is presented with the stick, wrap itself around it and you can pull it out. Presumably
by bertil 10y ago
I remember a story about a worm that is extracted using a stick: the worm is presented with the stick, wrap itself around it and you can pull it out. Presumably, that image of a long animal around a stick as a healing process is what gave the caducean, the symbol to medicine of a snake around a stick.
Anyone familiar with anything like this?
- maxerickson 10y agoWrapping it on a stick is the traditional treatment for Guinea Worm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius#Theories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius#Theories
- throw_away 10y agoI was not aware of this before a long trip through wikipedia (triggered because I'd never seen that word before), but there's apparently some controversy over use of the Caduceus vs the Rod of Asclepius. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus_as_a_symbol_of_medicine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus_as_a_symbol_of_medici... Basically, the US Army used it by mistake and so it's taken over in the United States, but people think that the one-snake version (RoA) is more correct. The RoA is thought to be perhaps rooted in the treatment for Guinea Worm (or else based on a magical healing snake kept by Moses).
- Aelinsaar 10y agoI would suggest that you not google image search that, as I did. There are many modern results, and it's quite awful.
- DonHopkins 10y agoThank you! Preventative eyewash is the best eyewash. Instead, google image search for: Jimmy Carter for Cancer Survivor https://www.google.com/search?q=jimmy+carter+for+cancer+survivor&source=lnms&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=jimmy+carter+for+cancer+surv...
- bertil 10y agoYup: girlfriend is an MD, I learnt the hard way to deactivate Google Image before any medical search. I would ban any relation to dermatology from GI if I could.
- Aelinsaar 10y agoOh god yes. My "Cannot unsee" file is overwhelmingly dermatological, or burns.