Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Salus

SALUS (Safety), a goddess worshipped in various parts of ancient Italy. At Rome a temple adorned with paintings by Fabius surnamed the Painter (Pictor) was dedicated to her in 302 b.c.; and public prayers were offered to her on behalf of the Roman people and the emperor. In 180 b.c., on the occasion of a plague, vows were made to Apollo, Æsculapius, and Salus. Here the special attribute of the goddess appears to be “health”; and in later times she was identified with the Greek goddess of health, Hygeia. On coins of Tiberius, Nero, &c., she is represented as a young maiden with the symbol of Hygeia, a serpent drinking out of a goblet.