Pair of bronze busts with a black patina depicting Hippocrates and Asclepius on marble-plated bases adorned with symbols of medicine and pharmacy. 19th century. Height: 33 cm Note: Asclepius, a Thessalian hero, was regarded in classical times as the Greco-Roman god of medicine. The staff depicted beneath his bust, around which a serpent is coiled—known as the “staff of Asclepius”—was believed in Greek mythology to have the power to heal all wounds. Today, it has more broadly become a symbol of medicine.