The terms “snake oil” and “snake-oil salesperson” are part of the vernacular thanks to Clark Stanley, a quack doctor who marketed a product for joint pain in the late 19th century ...

However, while the correct symbol for medicine features just one snake, the US is far from alone in mistakenly adopting the caduceus. Other nations currently using this alchemical impostor include ...

Another, earlier depiction of the medical symbol is the staff of Asclepius, though it has no wings and only one snake. The son of Apollo and the human princess Coronis, Asclepius is the Greek ...

Snake venom is both a deadly poison and an antidote, and the rod represents control over this duality. Snakes are close to the ground and shed their skin, making them symbols of life and death ...