TheBowl of Hygeia,⟨🕏,Unicode U+1F54F⟩, is one of thesymbols ofpharmacology, and along with theRod of Asclepius, it is one of the most ancient and important symbols related to medicine in western countries.Hygeia was the Greek goddess of health,hygiene, cleanliness, andsanitation, and the daughter ofAsclepius, whom she is often closely associated with e.g. in prayers and hymns. Asclepius' symbol is hisrod, with asnake twined around it; correspondingly, Hygeia's symbol is acup orchalice with a snake twined around its stem. Hygeia was also invoked, along with her father Asclepius, andPanacea in the originalHippocratic Oath.
The bowl of Hygeia has been used as a symbol of the pharmacy profession at least as far back as 1796, when it was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy.[1] It has since been adopted by many more pharmaceutical associations worldwide, such as theAmerican Pharmacists Association,[2] theCanadian Pharmacists Association,[3] thePharmaceutical Society of Australia,[4] and the Doctor of Pharmacy Association,[5]Conseil de l'Ordre des Pharmaciens in France[6] (where is written in law with another symbol, the green Greek cross).[7]
The bowl of Hygeia is a common symbol on signs outside of pharmacies in Europe. Amortar and pestle is a more common symbol in the United States.
