Among the Art Deco details above the entrance to the Medical Arts Building on Prospect are two figures, each holding a caduceus, a staff with two serpents coiled around it. In mythology, the staff belonged to Hermes (Greek) or Mercury (Roman), patrons of commerce. In the early 20th century, the U.S. Army Medical Corps adopted the symbol, even though traditionally the symbol for medicine was the rod of Asclepius, a single serpent coiled around a staff with no wings. Interestingly, the original purpose of the building as a hub of medical care gave way to business uses, including the headquarters of Republic Steel, thus making the caduceus symbols more accurate. | Creator: J. Mark Souther | Date: May 4, 2025Download Original File
