In 1928, the sword symbol of the Americal Cancer Society (ASCC) came from a 1928 nationwide poster contest sponsored by the ASCC and the New York City Cancer Committee. George E. Durant of Brooklyn won the contest and received a first prize of $500.

He selected the sword to express the crusading spirit of the cancer control movement. The twin-serpent caduceus, which forms the handle of the sword, emphasizes the medical and scientific nature of the Society’s work. Classically, twined serpents represent healing of the sick and creativity of the healthy.