and... it's a stupid question-

the symbol... on ambulances... like snake/ needle (sword?)...
what exactly is it and what does it mean?

 

I think you're asking about the caduceus, symbolic staff surmounted by two wings and entwined with two snakes.

In the USA the caduceus is a commonly used symbol of medicine. The Caduceus was the magic rod of Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

In Greek and Roman mythology, a magic wand consisting of a rod topped by wings and intertwined by two snakes was depicted as a medicinal or magical tool symbolized to indicate healing and immortality in literature.

Among the ancient Greeks the caduceus was the symbol of Hermes, the messenger of the gods and was carried by heralds and ambassadors as a badge of office and a mark of personal inviolability. In Virgil's Aeneid the caduceus is said to have been given to Mercury by Apollo in exchange for Lyre.According to mythology, Hermes threw his magic wand at two fighting snakes. The snakes became entwined as they stopped fighting.

In Roman mythology the symbol is associated with the god Mercury. The staff of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, which was entwined by a single snake, was also called a caduceus.

Well, you asked.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bliz
[B]I think you're asking about the caduceus, symbolic staff surmounted by two wings and entwined with two snakes.