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Previous Volume 354:551-553 February 9, 2006 Number 6 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Many physicians cling to Asclepios's staff as the quintessential insignia of our craft, no doubt debating endlessly whether it should have one or two ascending snakes. Some doctors cherish instead the symbolism of the white coats they don daily, which impart a hygienic air. Still others tightly clutch their beaten black-leather doctor's bags, once indispensable accessories for bygone house calls.

But with all due respect to these and a host of other treasured tokens, I contend that the stethoscope best symbolizes the practice of medicine. Whether absentmindedly worn around the neck like an amulet or coiled gunslinger-style in the pocket, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

Dr. Markel is a professor of the history of medicine and of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, where he directs the Center for the History of Medicine.

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