the patient sound."[1]

AEsculapius was too successful in his art, for his death was attributed
to Zeus, who killed him by a flash of lightning, or to Pluto, both of
whom were thought to have feared that AEsculapius might by his skill gain
the mastery over death.

Amid much that is mythological in the history of AEsculapius, there is a
groundwork of facts. Splendid temples were built to him in lovely and
healthy places, usually on a hill or near a spring; they were visited by
the sick, and the priests of the temples not only attended to the
worship of AEsculapius, but took pains to acquire knowledge of the
healing art. The chief temple was at Epidaurus, and here the patients
were well provided with amusements, for close to the temple was a
theatre capable of seating 12,000 people, and a stadium built to
accommodate 20,000 spectators.

A serpent entwined round a knotted staff is the symbol of AEsculapius. A
humorist of the present day has suggested that the knots on the staff
indicate the numerous "knotty" questions which a doctor is asked to
solve! Tradition states that when AEsculapius was in the house of his
patient, Glaucus, and deep in thought, a serpent coiled itself around
his staff. AEsculapius killed it, and then another serpent appeared with
a herb leaf in its mouth, and restored the dead reptile to life. It
seems probable that disease was looked upon as a poison. Serpents
produced poison, and had a reputation in the most ancient times for
wisdom, and for the power of renovation, and it was thought that a
creature which could produce poison and disease might probably be
capable of curing as well as killing. Serpents were kept in the Temples
of AEsculapius, and were non-poisonous and harmless. They were given
their liberty in the precincts of the temple, but were provided with a
serpent-house or den near to the altar. They were worshipped as the
incarnation of the god, and were fed by the sick at the altar with
"popana," or sacrificial cakes.

[Illustration: From Wellcome's Medical Diary (Copyright) By permission
of Burroughs Wellcome & Co.

Plate II.--HYGEIA

The Greek Deity of Health.]

Many of the Greek gods and goddesses were held to have power over
disease. Hygeia, known as Salus to the Romans, was said to have been the
daughter of AEsculapius, and to have taken care of the sacred serpents
(Plate II).

Melampus was considered by the Greeks the first mortal to practise
healing. In one case he pre