The Fiery Serpent

The American Medical Association and many other medically related societies use a version of the caduceus as a symbol. While having some origin in Greek mythology, the symbol appears to have even older roots. These roots even suggest that instead of being snakes, the coiled animals are actually a parasitic worm.

There are a few of us who hypothesize that it originated with ancient Israel as a symbol for God's ordained medical priests during the wanderings in the wilderness. God established the medical profession by teaching the Israelite priests how to safely remove a parasitic infection. This parasite is often called the Guinea Worm, and known by scientists as Dracunculus medinensis.

The story begins when the Israelites complained about a lack of water, and drank water from a spring which Moses had been told to declare unclean. A while later in Numbers 21 the complaining began again, so God sent ‘fiery serpents' among them to bite them. Many people died and then a crowd asked Moses to intercede for them.

Moses was told to make a ‘bronze serpent,' raise it upon a staff, and anyone who looked to this would live. This story appears to many of us to support what would be called idol worship. A better explanation is that God revealed how to cure this pain and fiery affliction to a few priests. Those people infected, who looked for the tent with the serpent on the staff, were able to find medical care and healing.

In this manner, God appears to establish that the healing professions are ordained as professions worthy of administering Gods' care.

She then creates a blister in the skin, and it develops in a hole or ulcer where the female is able to stick out her backend to lay young whenever the ulcer is placed n water. So when the person with the worm and ulcer immerses it in water, to wash the wound or to obtain water, the worm quickly releases a cloud of her young contaminating the drinking water.

After laying all of her young the worm normally dies creating inflammation and pain where the long worm dies. The opening normally allows bacterial infection of the ulcer area and into the body. The inflammation and infection create a fiery or burning sensation and will result in death.

The traditional treatment is to grab the female while she is extended out of the ulcer under water. The healer then begins the very slow process of slowly pulling the worm out of the body, being very careful not to break the worm and thus allowing the inflammatory response. While gently easing the worm out, it is rolled onto a small stick, the basis for the coiled ‘serpent.'

The healer must have patience, normally pulling out the worm only a few centimeters a day. This may take weeks or even months. During this whole time, the person is not able to work or take care of their children, and this usually happens during the harvest time. This creates major economic as well as medical hardships.