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The Asklepion Temples became the symbol of the ancient hospitals of medicinal healing,where physicians “did their magic” and healed the sick. Pilgrims throughout Greece flocked to his temples; inside the temple, they laid down for healing on a klinike, from the Greek meaning “practice at a sick bed.” The klinike was the precursor for the word clinic.

In the Asklepion Temples, the statues with the rod of Asclepius and his snake provided inspiration and guidance. The Rod of Asclepius became a powerful symbol in modern medicine; it was adopted as the symbol of the World Health Organization and included in the symbol of the American Medical Association. In Jungian analysis, the rod symbolized the stability of the skilled healer, the snake the sacred wisdom needed for healing and rejuvenation, and the dual nature of the psyche which is the ongoing psychological process of death, and rebirth.