What would we do without the internet?

The buildings have been pretty much abandoned for more than 10 years now. But the caduceus symbol still remains on the wall as a reminder that these buildings used to be part of the large Gallatin Medical Group near downtown Downey. There's some talk that the site is poised for some potential redevelopment. (See I wonder who won this dispute? for more information about why these buildings are abandoned in the first place.)

The caduceus has an interesting history as a medical symbol. The caduceus is actually the staff carried by the Greek god Hermes and is a symbol of commerce and negotiation. According to Ask Yahoo!, the U.S. Army medical corps adopted the caduceus as their insignia because of its similarity to the staff carried by Asclepius, the god of medicine. But the staff carried by Asclepius has only one snake and no wings. Asclepius' staff is the emblem of the American Medical Association.

If the medical corp had just had the internet, there wouldn't be this mixup.