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Caduceus (kerykeion, caduceus in Greek; kerykeion skeptron meaning "a herald's wand"; keryx meaning announce or herald).
In Greek and Roman mythology, a magic wand consisting of a rod topped by wings and intertwined by two snakes was depicted as a medicinal or magical tool symbolized to indicate healing and immortality in literature and drawings from the Classical era. The fabled wand or rod, the caduceus, was carried by Hermes in Greek myths and Mercury in Roman mythology as the messenger of the gods. While the caduceus carried by Hermes is distinct from the Staff of the demigod Aesculapius, which is classically characterized as a single serpent encircling a rough hewn branch, the Caduceus has been adopted as the more commonly used symbol in medicine.
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