Rod of Asclepius

So I was reading Peeps yesterday, (written by the same guy who wrote the Uglies..) and there was a bunch of weird stuff in it about parasites.  Which doesn't sound particularly interesting, but there was a whole chapter about the Rod of Asclepius, the medical symbol with a pole and snakes wrapping around it.

I personally always thought that had to do with some greek mythology thing, and the Hermes guy.  Well, according to the book, it came from this disease called Dracunculiasis, or Guinea Worm disease.  Basically what happens is this parasite lays its eggs in a water source.  Then some poor, unsuspecting person comes along on a hiking trip or something and says "Hey, some water.  Lets drink it."  So then they end up drinking in this parasite.  Once inside your small intestine, the larvae hatches, migrates to your leg, and grows to be TWO TO THREE FEET.  Painful blisters pop up on the persons leg, and they, not knowing about said parasite living in their leg, runs into some stream or lake or something to soothe the pain.  Then the parasite lays new larvae which returns to the water to wait for some other unsuspecting victim.  Meanwhile, the 2-3 foot one inside your leg is stuck inside your leg.  And if its left in there, you will die.  So you have to remove it.  UNFORTUNATELY, you can't remove it quickly, because it has to be wrapped around a stick as it is removed, and can break easily, so it can only be taken out a little bit a day.  Basically what you are looking at is a week of this.  Seven whole days.  Of pulling a three foot worm out of your leg.  And what we get is a stick with a worm wrapped around it, which will later become the symbol of medicine.

So when you're camping guys, don't drink the water.