Bowl of Hygieia

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Bowl of Hygieia

Bowl of Hygieia is one of the symbols of pharmacy. Hygieia was the Greek goddess of hygiene, and the daughter of Aesculapius. Aesculapius' symbol is his rod, with a snake twined around it; correspondingly, Hygieia's symbol is a cup or chalice with a snake twined around its stem and poised above it.

Usage of symbol by pharmaceutical associations[edit]

The bowl of Hygieia has been used as a symbol of the pharmacy professional at least as far back as 1796, when it was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy.[1] It has since been adopted by many more pharmaceutical associations worldwide, such as the American Pharmacists Association,[2] the Canadian Pharmacists Association,[3] the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia,[4] and the Doctor of pharmacy Association,[5] Conseil de l'Ordre des Pharmaciens in France[6] (where is written in law with an other symbol green greek cross[7]).

Bowl of Hygeia Award[edit]

The Bowl of Hygeia Award is an award given by Wyeth to recognize pharmacists who have provided outstanding community service, as nominated by their pharmaceutical associations.[1] The award was first given in Iowa in 1958.[1] From there, it expanded to cover all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all 10 provinces of Canada.[1][8]


  1. ^ a b c d "History of the Bowl of Hygeia award | Drug Topics". 2002-10-07. Retrieved 2013-04-26. 
  2. ^ "Bowl of Hygeia". 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-26. 
  3. ^ "Home - CPhA". Retrieved 2013-04-26. 
  4. ^
  5. ^ Doctor of pharmacy Association
  6. ^ "La protection de la croix verte et du caducée - Nos missions - Ordre National des Pharmaciens" (in (French)). 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2013-04-26. 
  7. ^ "Code de la santé publique - Article R4235-53" (in (French)). Legifrance. 2004-07-29. Retrieved 2013-04-26. 
  8. ^ "About Pfizer | Pfizer: the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company". 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2013-04-26.