raw material etymology will source later with oed god name mercury from merx merchandise the name of the god comes from the same root as merchandise market and mercantile still need citation supporting discussion of this point in context reference to caduceus in homer odyssey v william k emerson encyclopedia of united states army insignia and uniforms university of oklahoma press pp the medical department adopted a inch high gilt caduceus as its insignia in for the service uniform officers wore the device in bronze the caduceus two serpents intertwined on a winged staff was carried by mercury the god of commerce shortly after the surgeon general announced the caduceus as the medical symbol critics said it was not appropriate even though the caduceus had been used intermittently as various us army insignia starting with the chevrons for hospital stewards in the debate was important because it was apparent to all of the officers that the insignia was to become the device for the expanding medical department the critics were unhappy with the caduceus as the medical insignia and they stated that the single serpent looped about a staff was properly associated with aesculapius the greek god of healing the army and navy register of june noted the argument about the appropriate insignia giving the badge an unusual interpretation the editor wrote of the caduceus the rod represents power the serpents stand for wisdom and the two wings imply dilligence and activity qualities which are undoubtedly possessed by our medical officers the design however does not lend itself easily to a corps emblem the dispute over the appropriateness of a caduceus continued for many years but never flared into a raging controversy lengthy quote from old journal here defending caduceus as a sign of non combatants used to establish neutrality and hence appropriate for non combatants on the field the article in defense of the caduceus states that it was chosen for neutrality not medicine and points out that the majority of the medical corps personnel are not even doctors the army influence in selecting the caduceus carried over to civilian physicians in the early th century and many civilian medical personnel still use the caduceus as a symbol since world war ii many doctors have begun to display the aesculapian staff when the u s air force created a new medical insignia it adopted the staff of aesculapius with a single serpent as the device for medical personnel a h burkitt on tradesmen's signs of london in journal of the british archaeological association volume london pp article discusses tradesmen's signs in london that have for the most part fallen into disuse author discusses signs in use prior to the mid th century of the heathen deities and their attributes we find mercury or his caduceus appropriate in trade as indicating expedition travel for the purpose of business esculapius his serpent and staff or his cock for professors of the healing art leslie s wilson the serpent symbol in the ancient near east can't view this title but it appears to deal with the putative babylonian origins of the caduceus in one section might use to balance against frothingham ward claims mark p o morford robert j lenardon classical mythology some are outraged that the caduceus as a symbol of commerce and even worse should be associated with medicine hermes was also a god of dishonest eloquence and thievery others suggest that hermes' caduceus may today be as appropriate an emblem for medicine as the staff of asclepius after all the important business of medicine grows ever more complex with advertising essential for competitive marketing so one medical doctor glenn w geelhoed poses the dilemma each of us physicians may choose what the profession should mean and between two serpent symbols representing very competitive ideals adopt a symbol that is appropriate to can't get page number or rest of quote through google page number also needed luke van orden md where have all the healer's gone a doctor's recovery journey writers advantage p the caduceus has been the official emblem of medicine for four centuries or more for the ancient greeks the winged staff with two serpents entwined was the symbol of hermes messenger of the gods and conductor of souls to hades hermes was also the god of travelers merchants music luck eloquence cheats and thieves the earlier babylonians regarded serpent