Asclepius, Caduceus, and Simurgh as medical symbols; part II. Simurgh.
In part one of this article I reviewed the history of Asclepius and the Caduceus of Hermes as medical symbols and made a tentative suggestion of using the mythical bird Simurgh as an Iranian symbol of medicine. In this, the second part, I shall describe the evolution of the myth of the Simurgh and discuss the medical relevance of this bird in Iranian history.
Nayernouri
Touraj
T
Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. of Iran, Tehran, Iran. tnayernouri@yahoo.co.uk
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D004616:Emblems and Insignia / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D009229:Mythology