Nevertheless, even today we are reminded of medicine’s religious background. Its very symbol, the snake-entwined staff of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, can be traced back to the ancient temples of healing where sacred snakes were kept. According to The Encyclopedia of Religion, these snakes embodied “the capacity for renewal of life and rebirth in health.”

[Picture on page 23]

The snake-entwined staff of Asclepius, a reminder that science has not developed apart from religious influence