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MEDIC MEDICINE
Physician Metaphysics Curative
(Caduceus Cadaver Clinic)
Matter Matrix Mother
This is one of several illustrated overviews
exploring word roots defining MEDIC, MEDICO,
MEDICINE and related concepts in MEDIUM, MEDIATE
and REMEDY. It is evident that Medicine integrates
principles derived from sciences and humanism to
preserve and restore HEALTH (as if to restore
WHOLE or preserve WHOLESOMENESS). Some underscore
such views by the motto HOLISTIC medicine. In
any case, fundamental ideas defining Medicine can
be traced to AESCULAPIUS and his STAFF or emblem
called CADUCEUS. This name is harmonious with concepts found in CAD as incorporated in
CADENCE, CADUCARY and CADAVER.
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| History of Medicine Mosaic. (Albrizio) |
A notable characteristic of the human animal is
to seek CURES by rational means, if possible, and in mythology, religion, politics and
metaphysics if necessary. In fact, CURA in Spanish refers to
CURE as well as to PRIEST, who collectively are referred to as CURIA.
Poets inform us that Olympic deities sought to
punish mortals by releasing upon this world, pestilence and evil
spirits. Olympic deities
also ordered Pandora, an all gifted exponent of womanhood, to insure that HOPE remained
to console the unfortunate. Since then, good medicine must respect
HOPE, regardless if rational or not.
Some like to equate Pandora's Box containing Hope to the
womb, uterus or matrix that shapes the unborn. Poets say that "hope
is eternal" and it is true that the dying often
transfer their hope to their children and future
generations.
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| Vistas of Tiber Island formally dedicated to Aesculapius. |
When scientific medicine has little to offer, hope
mixed with credulity may open the doors for
charlatans to exploit the ill. Notably, in Ukrainian and other Slavic tongues, VRACH and VRATY refer to physician, as well as to
falsehood. The recent trend in the US to call patients "clients"
is disturbing because it stands on the mercantile
principle of "caveat emptor" and presupposes that
the infirm and feeble have the capacity to fend
for themselves when faced with the might of
corporations profiting from rationing health care expenses.
Thus far in the Western world, AESCULAPIUS, or ESCULAPIUS,
continues to be the central representation of
the Arts and Sciences of Medicine. In Spanish a
MEDICO is also called a GALENO because most of
what we know about ASKLEPIUS is from the writings
of his follower GALEN, the personal physician of
the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Aesculapian
and galenic views of HEALTH stressed the need to
grasp "the nature of what is" or PHYSICS (study of
matter and energy), as a reflection of the evolution of
Medicine away from religion. In English, the word
PHYSICIAN illustrates the same point and further
underscores the departure of MEDICINE away from
METAPHYSICS. Another principle stressed by Galenic
physicians is that rest and sleep are CURATIVE.
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Apollo rescuing Aesculapius from the cadaver of Cronis. (Elsheimer) |
Classic mythology is rooted in the poetry of Homer
who presents Esculapius as the mortal father of
Machaon and Podaleirius - all three were "healers".
Asklepius or Aesculapius became an emblem of
Medicine and Ovid, among other poets, incorporated
Aeskulapius in a complex social landscape that
reverberates to the present. A cogent illustration
may be the death of Esculapius. He was killed by
Zeus for caring for Hippolytus or Virbius, not as
a physician, but because he accepted a bribe. Perhaps this
is the ancient view of mercenary medicine, and there
is more - the staff or the caduceus of Esculapius
has only one intertwined snake, in contrast to the
caduceus of MERCENARY MERCURY sporting two vipers.
Perhaps the sole reptile on the staff of Esculapius
denotes that the physician has the fiduciary duty to
only serve the interests of his patient, a
fundamental tenet of medical ethics. Perhaps
physicians who view their patients as "clients"
should also alter their caduceus by adding an
extra viper which is consonant with the emblem of
"caviat emptor" implying two parties without trust
for each other. It is of interest to see to what
extent modern medicine will shift its allegiance
from Esculapius to Mercury, a deity referred to by
the ancients as "protector of thiefs".
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Esculapius and Mercury with their staffs or caducei (one snake vs two vipers). |
The representations of Aesculapius holding his
STAFF or CADUCEUM also reminds us that once,
"medical STAFF ward rounds" were conducted in an
"open book" fashion. Clinicians had to openly review their cures with their peers. Now
"staff rounds" have been replaced by sedentary
"grand round conferences" while "word-rounds" are conducted, for the most part, by "solo"
"private" attending physicians. Such evolution may
be detrimental to "doctor-patient" fiduciary relationships because patient care
has become less transparent, except for lawyers who seek to profit from clinical malpratice. Perhaps reintroducing "medical staff ward rounds" has the potential
to reverse the negative impact of regulating
medicine by law and committees rather by than by
collegiate professional openness.
Ancient Esculapian temples are the forerunners of
HOSPITALS. In those times, patients visited an Esculapian temple and were admitted to adjoining
buildings where they slept hoping to have revealing
dreams. Consequently, medicine became linked with
the use of hallucinogens and hypnotics. Much later, Sigmund
Freud, a great scientists who studied the effects
of cocaine and pioneered the development of local
anesthetics ("novo"caine) has underscored that
dreams opened new vistas to the subconscious mind
and suggested novel treatment modalities.
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"Aesculapius
Temple Complex" (model) |
Esculapian views stressing "health maintenance"
have been obscured by phenomenal advances in
scientific therapies. One notable example is the
growth of PEDIATRICS, while PUERICULTURE has become
virtually unkown. The former is concerned with
childhood diseases for which pediatricians are
amply rewarded. On the other hand, PUERICULTURE renamed as "Developmental Pediatrics", seeks to mantain the
health and assure the full development of children,
a task marginally supported by experts in medical
economics. In fact, Health "Maintenance"
Organizations or HMOs are quite skilled in
exploiting the positive implications of the
slogan while in denying financial support for
preventive interventions.
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(Head and body of Aesculapius) |
Perhaps Esculapian views are returning to the
forefront of medical ideology. There is a growing
recognition of the importance of "wellness
centers" or Sanatoria. In fact, in Europe, particularly in
countries that were oppressed by the USSR,
"health centers" called "CURORDS", that offer CURES
remain popular. The regime of "healthy" diets, massages,
exercises, rest and sleep have popular appeal. Even
western CORPorations are now offering "rest
cures" to top executives perhaps because the realizations that rest and "sleep cures"
may be more cost effective than "working to death" to prematurely become a CORPse and have to pay "survival benefits".
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