Page 5 - The Story of the RAMC

Chapter I
“The Rod and Serpent”
Every time a soldier of the Royal Army Medical Corps sits down to clean his badges he is, in a very real sense, rubbing up his knowledge of the history, tradition and aspirations of the Corps to which he belongs; for this small scrap of metal tells the story of the part played by the medical services in the Army’s long history.
In the very centre of the badge is the device of “The Rod and Serpent”. This takes us back to ancient Greece in the year 1256 B.C. At that time there lived at Epidaurus a man called Aesculapius, often called the “Father of Medicine”. The old legend tells us that he became such an expert physician that he was able to bring the dead back to life.
As a result of this, hell was becoming increasingly empty and Pluto, the god of the underworld, complained to Jupiter, the head of all the gods that he was being deprived of his clients. Jupiter obliged by slaying Aesculapius with a thunderbolt. However he then became a god himself and was worshipped in hundreds of temples throughout the Middle East. These were also used as hospitals and each contained a circular pit containing a harmless variety of snake whose forked tongue was thought to have healing properties when applied to diseased parts .
Ever since those early days the “Rod and Serpent” has been the sign of the art and science of medicine throughout the world . It is right and proper that this should be at the very centre of our badge for it proclaims the need for a high degree of technical efficiency, a target to be aimed at by every man in the Corps.
This old Greek god has another special interest for us for his daughter Hygeia stands for the prevention of disease while his two sons both served as doctors in the armies of Greece at the siege of Troy (1190 B.C.).
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