Vladimír Komárek, the Dean of the Second Faculty of Medicine, explains what the pelican symbolizes in the emblem of the faculty. The interview was prepared by Adam Láznička. Anton Vik provided photographs of the dean with the pelican whose care at the Prague Zoo our faculty sponsors. Bára Vakrmanová cooperated in the production. Markéta Tolarová and Květa Janoušková translated the original Czech interview with the dean to English.
Our Faculty has the pelican as its emblem. Why was the pelican chosen?
Our faculty was not created from scratch in the year 1953 when the original faculty of medicine of Charles University in Prague was divided into three branches. Rather, it has been part of a long tradition of medical education since the time of the university’s founding in 1348. The pelican was part of the emblem of one of four original faculties, namely the Faculty of Medicine, which is incidentally evidenced by the large sign in the Magna Aula of the historic Carolinum building of Charles University. The pelican is not only in our emblem, but also in the emblem of the First Faculty of Medicine. You may notice that First Faculty of Medicine uses the emblem of the pelican feeding three fledglings, while our emblem depicts the same bird only feeding one offspring. This imagery corresponds to the more intimate atmosphere of our smaller faculty where the education is very individualized. Sometimes it is truly the case that the tutor is able to focus individually on each and every one student. However, he certainly does not tear his chest into a bloody mess! (Smile)
What is the origin and significance of this emblem?
According to legend, pelican parents tear their chests apart with their beaks and the running blood of the wounds is used to feed the offspring. This is not entirely accurate. Pelicans actually collect as many fish as possible into their beaks, then press their beaks to their chest, and gradually push the fish into the beaks of their up to seven fledglings. It is interesting, that the emblems throughout history depict varying numbers of offsprings: three, five, and seven. One offspring is shown very rarely. The young chicks, in efforts to get as many fish as possible, sometimes peck into the chest of their mother. This is however incidental, and the myth that the offsprings are fed by the blood of the mother that she herself provides by attacking her own chest is simply a myth.
Another fascinating legend is the story that while the chicks injure the mother, she pecks them in return and causes their death. On the third day after their passing, she sprinkles them with her own blood and brings them back to life. This brings us to the symbolism of resurrection, which is common imagery seen throughout Christianity – i.e. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself and spilled his own blood for all people, for the future generations, and for all mankind. We also find the reference in the prayer of St. Gertrude, which begins with the words: ‘Gracious Pelican, Jesus Christ, who cleansed us unworthy of our sins with your precious blood, I give thanks to you for saintly and sweet wounds, that you sustained on the cross, when your eternal love opened with its arrow your holy side and entered your holy heart. Praise be to the sacred wound and sacred blood and water to wash away all our sins’. So this is a very ancient legend that arose from an inaccurately interpreted reality (which is often the case with legends) and became part of the symbolism of early Christianity.
Quite notable is the article by Miloš Reichrt, Jan Palach and the Church Painting of the Pelican, in which he presents Palach’s inspiration by the image of a pelican as the emblem of Christ’s highest sacrifice in the evangelical Church in Libiš by Neratovice, which Palach visited for the burial services of his uncle just before he commited his fatal act. The ceremony was held there on January 15th, 1969. The author states: ‘Among the participants of the ceremony was the nephew of the deceased, a student of the Philosophical Faculty in Prague, Jan Palach. He couldn’t have missed a striking wooden carving, a surprising figurative piece, as part of the decoration in an otherwise austere Calvinist church. By the ceiling, on the roof of a confessional, as if blessing the events occurring below, is a pelican spreading its wings and feeding its fledglings.’ Twenty-four hours after witnessing this, Jan Palach commited suicide by the National Museum of Prague setting himself ablaze in an act of political protest against the end of the Prague Spring and 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. He sacrificed himself in a Christly way for others and for the future generations.
The legend of the pelican can be, with some exaggeration, applied to the situations of daily life and to the life within our faculty. Our young, the students, are guided for the first three years and provided with knowledge (which can sometimes be an almost bloody process), and towards the end of the third year they feel as though they are near death. However, they get to be essentially resurrected throughout the final three years and become doctors. In this sense, it is a truly lovely legend.
Where else can we find the emblem of the pelican?
We meet the depiction of the pelican in a variety of churches, on shields, and coats of arms. A notable depiction comes from Duchcov. Outside the Dean’s Office there is also a statue of a pelican. It is interesting that the depiction can be found on postage stamps, in the symbol of the Red Cross, in association with transfusion services, and in many other places.
Our faculty has an adopted pelican residing in the Prague Zoo. What do you know about him?
Yes, we have an adopted pelican. I am currently finishing my second year as the dean, but I confess that I have not yet visited him, despite sending him funding. It is time to get to know our pelican, and ask how he is doing! (The trip to the ZOO occurred on April 11th, 2016 and pelican with the dean can be seen in the photo gallery.)
Who came up with the idea, and when?
From what I am aware of, the idea to adopt a pelican was introduced by the Dean’s Advisory Board sometime around the year 2000.
How much does it cost to have an adopted pelican?
Annually, the pelican receives 8000 Czech Crowns. I do not know if that is to his liking; I will ask.
If not a pelican, what other animal could you imagine in the emblem of the faculty?
Medicine has always been associated with the snake, which is in the emblem of the Third Faculty of Medicine. However, it is possible that it is not a sacred snake, instead, a worm that is pulled from skin wounds using a stick. The Second Faculty of Medicine in Motol, which is widely known to focus on paediatrics, could be represented, for instance, by a kangaroo, or another animal that is widely known for the care of its offsprings. There is a great deal of research that goes on here; theoretically, we could also be represented by a laboratory animal. I still remember, when experiments were done on piglets, but that was not particularly ideal (smile). Since I consider our faculty to be particularly bright, it certainly should not be a lazy or dull animal. I am not able, however, to come up with a better emblem than the current pelican. After all, the pelican is represented in coat of arms of prestigious British faculties such as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
What is your favorite animal?
My whole office at the clinic is decorated with seahorses – hippocampi. Being a neurologist, the hippocampus is my favorite part of the brain, to which I have devoted considerable research time.
The emblem of the faculty is currently undergoing ‘modernization’. When can we expect to see the new emblem? What led to the desire to modify the current emblem?
Let us just say, that our emblem is undergoing remodelling at this time. I hope everyone will soon be pleasantly surprised!
