Abstracts of the 24th National Anatomy Congress

The symbol of medicine from ancient times to the present is known as the snake and the staff.The snake has been associated with health, medicine, wisdom, power and eternal life in many civilizations.In the mythologies and legends of ancient societies, the snake was considered a symbol of eternal life because it sheds its skin every year and rejuvenates itself.The snake and staff in the medical symbol contain many historical and ethical values.Snake figures appear in various shapes and forms as symbols of medicine, especially the snake staff carried in the hand of Asclepios, the God of Medicine and Health in mythology; one or two snakes wrapped around a staff, two snakes wrapped around a winged staff, a snake wrapped around a chalice or reaching towards the bowl, two snakes wrapped around each other, a branch and a snake.The purpose of this presentation is to reveal the historical origins of these symbols, which are similar to each other but different from each other in terms of both their historical origins and the meanings they represent, and to explain the meanings of the professional and ethical values they represent.We think that anatomy, which is the basis of medicine, is closely related to the values represented by the snake and staff, which are symbols of medicine.