The ubiquitous symbol of medicine takes root in ancient Greece, where some believers in the gods of healing joined cults involving snakes. “Asklepieia” itself was a specific sanctuary–dedicated to the physician-demigod Asklepios (or Asclepius)—to which ailing travelers would make pilgrimages for their headaches, blindness, and pregnancy complications. As legend goes, Asclepius was so successful at saving lives that, Hades–god of the death and the underworld—had him killed by Zeus’ thunderbolt.
While modern-day “medical tourism” can encompass flying to Turkey for hair transplants, driving to a spa for thermal therapy, or relaxing in Costa Rica while having dental implants, historians of multiple disciplines point out that humans have a long history of pursuing the care they believe to need.