JTPednaud's recent post on Neatorama about "Zombie," a young Montreal gentleman with radical full-face skull tattoo, and the comments in that post reminds me of INKED Inc., a project by (tattooed) photographer and corporate lawyer Dave Kimelberg.
Dave wanted to show how "the once-derided tattoo is quickly gaining popularity within corporate and professional America, a stronghold of conventionality."
The photo above is of Dr. Dave, a medical doctor with private general medicine practice in New York City:
Many of Dr. Dave's tattoos have a medical theme. A caduceus, the symbol of medicine, sits on his right arm - although a woman replaces the traditional staff. The letters "MD" are tattoed on his back, while a skull with a red medical cross (the symbol of Dr. Dave's motorcycle club of health professionals) decorates his left shoulder.
This doctor does have full sleeves.
Porfolio [Flash] | Link to INKED Inc.'s website
I think he looks fabulous!
Oh wait...
The medical symbol is in fact the rod of Asclepius, which has 1 snake rather than 2.
Trauma Center made the same mistake by naming the organisation Caduceus.
2 fun facts for today...
1. the symbolic staff of a herald; specifically : a representation of a staff with two entwined snakes and two wings at the top
2 : an insignia bearing a caduceus and symbolizing a physician
See http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5121716 for details.
In summary, both are symbols of medicine today. But, the cadaceus is only a symbol of medicine due to someone in the US Army medical department messing up back in 1902.