Rod of Asclepius
It has been suggested that the Rod of Asclepius (the symbol which represents medical practice since ancient times) once represented a worm wrapped around a rod; parasitic worms such as the guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) were common in ancient times, and were extracted from beneath the skin by winding them slowly around a stick. According to this theory, physicians might have advertised this common service by posting a sign depicting a worm on a rod. However plausible, no concrete evidence in support of this theory has been adduced.
Read more about this topic: Dracunculus (animal)
Famous quotes containing the word rod:
“From pleasure of the bed,
Dull as a worm,
His rod and its butting head
Limp as a worm ...”
—William Butler Yeats (18651939)