Caduceus as a symbol of medicine worth noting that hospital stewards were not physicians; they played a supporting role preparing drugs for surgeons, supervising nurses and cooks, maintaining accounting and medical records, and in emergencies sometimes performed minor surgery or provided prescriptions. Later, in 1871, the Surgeon General designated the caduceus as the seal of the Marine Hospital Service (destined to become the U.S. Public Health Service in 1912). Gershen states that the change was for aesthetic reasons, whereas Friedlander states the caduceus was adopted by the Marine Hospital Service "because of its relationship with merchant seamen and the maritime industry". The caduceus was formally adopted
Planet symbols 🌕) and "waning" (U+263E ☾). The symbol for Mercury(U+263F ) is ultimately derived from the caduceus, or intertwined serpents, which were the main attribute of Mercury/Hermes throughout antiquity. The caduceus was usually shown with at least three loops, but this was simplified to a single loop in the diagram of Kamateros (12th century). The modern symbol has also been interpreted as representing the god's winged headdress. The Venus symbol (♀) consists of a circle with a small cross below it. It originates in Late Antiquity as an astrological symbol for the planet Venus (associated with the goddess Venus), and hence