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Comment by charliebwrites | Hacker News Reader

If you’ve ever wondered why the symbol of health is a snake spiraling a staff (the Greek god Asclepius’s staff to be specific), it’s because in Ancient Greece they used small amounts of snake venom to treat serious illnesses

We’ve come full circle

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I always assumed what I felt was obvious: Numbers 21:4-9, where God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole to heal Israelites dying from poisonous snake bites.

Sorry but the bible is not a historic document.

If you want to read old texts a bit more grounded in reality try the Kama Sutra ... ;)

The Bible contains many verifiable historical references supported by archaeology and ancient records, even as a primarily theological text. Here are three examples:

1. The Tel Dan Stele and the House of David

This 9th-century BCE inscription records an Aramean king’s victories over the “king of Israel” and the “king of the House of David.” It gives the earliest extra-biblical proof of the Davidic dynasty at the heart of the Hebrew Bible.

2. Sennacherib’s Prism and Hezekiah

The prism names “Hezekiah the Judahite,” details the capture of 46 cities, and describes besieging Jerusalem in 701 BCE, closely matching 2 Kings 18–19, including the tribute paid.

3. The Pilate Stone and Pontius Pilate

Found at Caesarea Maritima, this inscription names “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea” under Tiberius, directly confirming the Roman official who tried Jesus in the Gospels.

These independent sources from rival powers strongly support the Bible’s historical value where evidence exists.

But the symbol is explicitly non-abrahamic in origin…

And yet the similarities can't be coincidental. Rod + Snake = Life Saving.

Not sure what you’re trying to say? That the Greeks got it from a Semitic people? Or something else?

"The universe is rarely so lazy"

The Christian Bible is not a historical document.

That wouldn't prevent the caduceus from being based on the story.

It seems that it's quire more complicated than that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus_as_a_symbol_of_medici...

I thought the predominant one was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius

I was taught that the symbol came from Egypt, specifically a reference to standard guinea worm treatment whereby the worm was extracted from under the skin by winding it around a stick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculiasis

I’m partial to the Guinea worm medical symbol theory, though happy to be convinced otherwise.

I suspect the symbol has deeper roots than that, though you are likely right about the snake venom being used then to treat illness.

I thought it’s a stick to pull out a tape worm. You wrap it around the worm and keep twisting to get it out.

now do the "save to disk" symbol

And then you have a ready-made worm kabob, ready to roast and eat! Infinite food exploit unlocked.

There's a strange, quiet conflict among old school medical professionals regarding the rod of Asclepius vs the Caduceus. Interesting topic

Medicine has always borrowed from biology's more dangerous toolkit

We also recently (we think) discovered why acupuncture works. That form of medicine from 4000 years ago...

Do you happen to have a source for that? I’d love to check it.

It's the New York Times article that's linked to in this HN post about “the Interstitium”:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48095536

That article doesn’t explain why acupuncture works, just gives a hint of a possible mechanism. It also doesn’t contain any evidence that acupuncture works at all (other than as a placebo).

Radiolab did a show on that a couple years ago. Pretty interesting listen.

https://radiolab.org/podcast/interstitium

They also did an episode about rapamycin that I thought was really cool. I had no idea the history of it and found it fascinating and it really gets the imagination going thinking about what other things are hidden all around us.

https://radiolab.org/podcast/dirty-drug-and-ice-cream-tub

Huh. We did? Could you share a link to a paper? Curious to find out about the "why".

There’s also electroacupuncture, which is gaining popularity in physical therapy clinics in the US.

> Like traditional acupuncture, electroacupuncture uses needles placed in the same spots. Then, a small electrode is attached to the needles. A small amount of electricity runs through the electrode and gives a slight vibration or soft hum during treatment. (1)

Since they use the same spots as traditional acupuncture even now, I would think traditional acupuncture does work to some degree.

(1) https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/cbd-cbn-what-is-differ...

I read a paper that basically said that the spot itself didn't matter so much, that part was voodoo, but the needling produced a response from your body that helped.

I did a course of dry needling for tendon inflammation. It's basically just poking tendons with needles. It's an accepted treatment and it works, but the spots don't matter at all (as long as they are in the same area).

It's just relying on poking stuff with needles to improve the blood flow.

Um, the spots do seem to have some importance - there's little point jabbing your left temple if, as you say, the aim is to improve the blood flow to your ankles

Your reference seems to be about CBD, not "electro acupuncture"

Here you go buddy. Webmd or google links issue, who knows. https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/what-is-electroacupunc...

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