The caduceus is the ancient symbol of healing (the original had a single snake and single wing on the staff); the image above incorporating DNA seems apt for today.
While the knowledge of the "code of life" has not opened the door to immortality,
we are beginning to understand the real complexity of the interaction between the organism and its environment through research into epigenetics--what controls the genome, what turns its various bits on and off. That is, I believe, the future of medicine.
It finally resolves at the molecular level the age-old argument about nature v. nurture:
nurture turns on the nature which affects how the nurture turns the nature off which affects....
The organism in its environment produces the individual, unique in all the world.
Fearfully and wonderfully made, indeed.
You must really like Matt Ridley (who is AWESOME, by the way) since this is the whole basis for Nature VIA Nurture book he wrote awhile back. I also think the idea of fetal origins will be playing a larger role in the future of medicine. I'm interested to see you blog about that, very fascinating.
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