Lisbon has a very amazing and elaborate pharmacy museum at the headquarters of their own pharmaceutical society.

http://www.museudafarmacia.pt/

It would be interesting to get their take on this topic (not to suggest that this author's interpretation is in any way mistaken).

Author here (and original poster). That's a great idea. I'm going to write them to see what they think about the origin of the symbol, and will update the post if they respond.

I've always loved the location of that museum by the way - not only beautifully situated facing the water, but also across from a park frequented by sellers of hashish (at least it was when I lived in Lisbon back in 2012). The big iron fence dividing the licit drug museum from the people selling illicit drugs right in front of it has since become my favorite metaphor for the history of drugs.

You can try to ask it to this professor, he will probably know the answer or will be interested and find it. His email is on the web page:

http://www.museus.ulisboa.pt/en/jpsdias

Ahah indeed. Briliant. passing through that street will never be the same to me again.

There is a recent reddit thread about late 60s usa anti drug efforts, with some history about the status of drugs in the decades before it. Interesting.

I wonder if there's any connection to the snake on a staff widely used as a symbol of medicine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius

It which case its origin may be a representation of the treatment for guinea worm.

I find it odd medical organizations in the USA use the symbol of the caduceus not the Rod of Asclepius I wonder how that came about.

I've read the caduceus is supposedly an ancient symbol or at least in some way connected to prostitution.

A bit of a faux pas to choose such a symbol!

In many countries the symbol for pharmacists is a snake over a mortar http://www.colfar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti...

Interesting, that page attributes use of the snake and palm tree to both Portugal and France.

Great read. Portugal has such an interesting history.

Nice read, specially as Portuguese.

Thanks for the article.