October 1, 2024

Uffizi Gallery

8. Hygieia

We touched on Hygieia in the October 1, 2022 issue of the Florence edition, but I would like to elaborate further.

Hygieia is a goddess appearing in Greek mythology.

She is one of the daughters of the god of medicine, Asclepius, who is the son of Apollo, the ancestor of medicine.

In other words, she is Apollo’s granddaughter.

Like her father Asclepius, she is accompanied by a snake and carries a cup (or a jar) containing medicine or water.

 (There is also a theory that she feeds the snake of Asclepius with food placed in the cup.)

The "Bowl of Hygieia," which features this snake and cup motif, is used as a symbol by many pharmaceutical associations around the world.

While Asclepius's staff symbolizes medicine, Hygieia's bowl symbolizes pharmacy.

As the worship of Asclepius spread, devotion to Hygieia also grew stronger.

Since Hygieia was a female deity, she became revered as a goddess who protects women's health.

It is said that during that time, it became fashionable among women to use statues of Hygieia as hair ornaments.

Hygieia derives from the Greek word "hygies" (healthy), and is also the root of the English word "hygiene" (cleanliness, health, sanitation).

In Roman mythology, Hygieia is known as Salus.

Since "Salus" is the goddess of health, in Italian, health is called "salute."

When you hear the word "hygiene," you might think of feminine hygiene products.

However, starting today, please remember the Greek goddess of health from mythology.

   Here are Hygieia statue and the logos of various countries' pharmaceutical associations.

In all countries, the "Bowl of Hygieia" is a symbol of pharmacy.

September 1, 2024

Uffizi Gallery

7. The Annunciation (Continued)

Saint Luke, who left us one of the four Gospels of the New Testament, "The Gospel of Luke," was a doctor.

Furthermore, he is said to be the first person to paint a portrait of the Madonna and Child (Mary and Jesus).

Therefore, he is considered the patron saint of both doctors and painters.

As such, doctors and painters were professions that worked under the protection of Saint Luke.

During the Renaissance period in the Middle Ages, doctors, pharmacists, and painters belonged to the same guild.

We understand that the close relationship between medicine and art stems from Christianity, but there is other reason as follows:

"Doctors and pharmacists use a mortar for preparing medicines to heal the body.

Painters also use a mortar to create pigments (paints) for painting pictures that heal the heart.

In this respect, doctors and painters are colleagues."

By the way, Saint Luke, who was a doctor, wrote that "the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin and she remained a virgin even after giving birth to Jesus."

This is something that modern medicine cannot accept.

Moreover, according to Ambrose, a 4th-century Bishop of Milan, "the Virgin Mary had a ventral gate, which allowed Christ to be safely born despite the fact that her vagina was sealed."

If an ordinary person like me were to say the same thing in the 21st century, it would be laughed off.

However, even in the era when Christianity was spreading, there were people who were skeptical of the "perpetual virginity of Mary."

Particularly, midwives, who had practical experience of delivering babies, knew that "a woman who has given birth cannot possibly be a virgin."

From the 15th to the 16th century, the witch hunts that swept across Europe were especially severe on midwives.

It is understandable, though unfortunate, that midwives who could not wholeheartedly believe in the doctrines of Christianity became targets of these witch hunts.

Here is an excerpt filled with satire on this issue from "The Praise of Folly" by the humanist Erasmus of the Middle Ages:

"Let me ask you, where do humans come from? From the head? The face, the chest? From the so-called superior organs like the hands or ears? No, that's not it.

 Humanity is perpetuated by an utterly ludicrous, laughable, and unspeakable organ."

   Saint Luke is written as "Roka” in Japanese.

St. Luke's International Hospital in Tsukiji reveres Saint Luke as the patron of medicine and operates according to Christian principles.

I will talk about St. Luke's International Hospital in the future section, "Exploring the History of Medicine: Tokyo Edition."