Next
to gold, silver is the best known “precious” metal. In astrology, the Sun is
gold, but the Moon is silver and its pale light rules the shade. Silver crosses
repel vampires; silver bullets kill werewolves. Why not gold crosses or
bullets? It may be because silver is associated with the power of night, or
because its whitish color suggests purity. But a more interesting possibility
is because of silver’s reported medical uses.
Crystalline silver. Courtesy, Wikipedia.
First
a disclaimer. As I searched, I found many reported claims of silver used for
medicinal purposes in antiquity, but I could not find the original sources.
Such are the dangers of Internet research. A claim is posted on one site
without reference, and that claim is cited by another site as evidence, not
realizing (or caring) that the first is little more than hearsay. Even my
favorite go-to site, Wikipedia, is not without this fault.
So,
with that caution, I found claims that the Phoenicians would store water and
wine in silver vessels where it would keep for years. Hippocrates is said to
have written about silver’s healing properties. Some say that American pioneers
would put silver dollars in water casks to purify the water. These may all be
true, and in hindsight, all look to be based on sound science. But just to keep
the proper perspective, others in the past have praised the healing powers of
mercury, arsenic, and radium. They were sadly, and sometimes fatally, mistaken.
It
is a known fact that many metals, including silver, mercury, and lead, will
kill bacteria. This phenomenon even has a name – the oligodynamic effect. We
still don’t know what causes it, but one hypothesis is that these metals bind
with and change enzymes – chemicals that control reactions in cells – and
render them useless. Without these enzymes, the bacteria die. Any of these metals
will do that but, unfortunately, most of them are toxic. If you store water in
a lead-lined jar, the lead will kill the bacteria, but it will also slowly
poison whoever drinks from it. Silver, though, isn’t so toxic.
Silver
has a number of modern health and medical applications. It’s used to kill
bacteria in water purification systems. Catheters are coated with it to reduce urinary
infections. Silver nitrate eye drops were once given to newborns to prevent eye
infections. Silver sulfadiazine cream is still used on burns, also to prevent
infections. And silver impregnated bandages are now sold to reduce bacterial
and fungal contamination of healing wounds. It’s even made it into socks to
kill the bacteria associated with smelly feet.
Like
most good things, there is the potential for abuse. One product being sold as a
nutritional supplement is “colloidal silver,” a suspension of micro-scale particles
of silver in a liquid. So far, medical science can find no evidence that eating
silver will help in any way. And there are some significant side effects,
including a condition called argyria – a permanent bluish discoloration of the
skin, nails, and gums. It may also interfere with the absorption of other
medicines taken at the same time, including antibiotics and drugs for thyroid
problems or rheumatoid arthritis (you can read more here http://nccam.nih.gov/health/silver).
A patient suffering from argyria. Courtesy, Wikipedia.
Some
may claim that these warnings are hogwash and medical science doesn’t know everything.
That’s true – at least the last part. But the history of untested nutritional
supplements is littered with terrible mistakes. In the 1920’s, the tonic of
choice was radium. You could buy pre-mixed radium water, or make your own by
letting water sit overnight in a radium-lined crock. It was promoted to restore
vigor and treat a host of diseases, including arthritis, cancer, and high blood
pressure. Instead, you got radiation poisoning.
So
until there is some overwhelming evidence that ingesting silver is healthy,
I’ll just keep it jingling in my pocket or imbedded in my new stinky-proof socks.
Originally published in the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise on May 8, 2012
