The name of Asclepius is probably not a well known one, although it appears quite often throughout stories of Greek mythology. Asclepius though was not a Greek god, but was a mortal born from the relationship between a god and mortal woman. The name of Asclepius though is one which is found outside the tales of Greek mythology; and for hundreds of years was associated with the medical profession, even appearing in traditional versions of the Hippocratic Oath. Asclepius was regarded as the most proficient of medical practitioners in the whole of ancient Greece.
Asclepius was born to exalted parentage, with the god, Apollo, for a father and the princess Coronis, daughter of King Phlegyas of Thessaly for a mother. Despite being with the child of Apollo, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, an act of unfaithfulness that was discovered by the Olympian god.
Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, killed Coronis for the act of betrayal, although Apollo rescued his unborn child from Coronis' womb before the princess was placed on a funeral pyre. The child, which of course was Asclepius, was then turned over by Apollo to the centaur Chiron. Chiron was considered to be the most civilised of all of the centaurs, and was tutor to many of the most noted Greek heroes. Chiron educated the child of Apollo in healing and medicine.
Asclepius though far exceeded the knowledge of his tutor, and learnt by himself the new ways of surgery and potions. Asclepius then started putting his knowledge to good use and set about healing the sickness and injuries of people around him. This good work brought him to the attention of Athena, who decided to aid his work, and offered him a potion derived from the blood of Medusa. The potion was made up from two parts of the Gorgon, one part would cause death and the other would allow for the resurrection of the deceased.
The work of Asclepius continued for a number of years, and the medical man continued to expand his knowledge. Asclepius soon got associated with the rod of Asclepius, a physician's staff with a snake encircling it. A symbol that is still associated with medical profession today.
Asclepius went on to marry Epione, with whom he six daughters and three sons. The daughters were Aceso, Aglaea, Hygieia, Iaso, Meditina and Panacea, all of whom were associated with cleanliness or similar elements of medical hygience. The three sons were Machaon, Podaleirios and Telephoros, the first two would themselves become noted physicians, mentioned by a number of historical sources.
Asclepius though became so good at his profession that he was even able to bring back the deceased from the domain of Hades. Something he was said to do for monetary gain as well. This though angered Zeus and Hades, who saw the power of the mortal infringing on the realms of the Olympian gods. Hades indeed feared that he and his domain were now surplus to requirements. Zeus though had a way of dealing with those that angered him, and so Asclepius became a victim of Zeus' lightning bolt. The fact that Asclepius had resurrected Hippolytus at the behest of Artemis was not a mitigating fact for Zeus.
Zeus although he had no regrets about his actions did recognise the good that Asclepius had done for mankind, and so placed him amongst the stars so that he would live forever amongst the thoughts of men. Thus the constellation Ophiuchus was created. The recognition of the work of Asclepius was kept alive as a number of temples were dedicated to him, including one on the island of Kos. It was this temple that was to inspire Hippocrates to take up the medical profession, with the advancements that his work would bring to the medicine.