SECTION 1.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Silver has been used for centuries to prevent and treat a variety of diseases, most notably infections. It has been well documented that silver was used in ancient Greece and Rome as a disinfectant for water and other liquid storage. Silver coins were placed in the jars of liquid to maintain sterility. The American Settlers (1800’s) routinely place a silver dollar in barrels of liquids to avoid spoilage and more recently NASA has used silver to maintain water purity on the space shuttle. The free silver ion or radicals are known to be the active agents of anti-microbial silvers. Of interest is its extremely potent antibacterial properties as only 1 part per 100 million of elemental silver is effective in a solution. Silver ion kills micro-organisms instantly by blocking the respiratory enzyme system (energy production) while having no negative effect on human cells.

In 1834 the German obstetrician F. Crede used a 1% silver nitrate solution as eye drops in newborns, eliminating blindness caused by post partum eye infections. Numerous studies in the early 1900’s correlated low plasma silver levels with infections, suggesting silver to be an essential micromineral requiring replacement. Of significant importance is that no known BACTERIAL RESISTANCE has developed to the silver ion as opposed to current antibiotics. Charged silver solutions (electro-colloidal) were approved in the 1920’s by the FDA for use as an antibacterial agent.

In addition to its recognized antibacterial properties silver solutions, especially (electro-colloidal elemental silver) were reported to improve the healing of "indolent wounds" and in the regeneration of damaged tissue unrelated to its effects on infection. The description of decreased rubor in wounds indicates an anti-inflammatory property of silver.

Silver is completely non-toxic to local tissues and painless upon application. This response must be distinguished from the response of silver salts, many of which are caustic to tissues especially silver nitrate due to the potent oxidizing or cell damaging effects of nitrate or nitrite. Virtually all of the reports on the use of the pure elemental silver to control infection or to increase healing occurred prior to the 1940’s after which antibiotics became prevalent, decreasing the use of silver (except in burns). With the recent introduction of a pure silver delivery system for use in burns and wounds, new data is being obtained which verifies these historical concepts. (To be presented)

Silver was commonly worn in the Greco-Roman period because of its perceived qualities of "maintaining health".

Silver container used to store liquids to avoid contamination (210 A.D.)