At the turn of the century, silver, in many different forms, was used by health practitioners. Research papers were published on its uses, and there was widespread interest in this mineral among doctors. One of its most carefully considered forms was a colloid.

Colloids

A colloid is composed of two substances: minute particles and a solution that holds the particles. The particles in a colloid do not dissolve or fall to the bottom but remain suspended in a suitable medium. Early scientists were aware that the colloid state is found throughout nature. Because many of the body's fluids-such as lymphatic fluid-are colloidal in nature, the body can more readily use products that are already in the colloidal form. A look at some of the materials published at the time-Colloids in Biology and Medicine (1919), The Use of Colloids in Health and Disease (1919), The Pharmacology of Silver (1939)-reinforces the idea that colloids, and silver, were legitimate medical tools.

Alfred Searle, in The Use of Colloids in Health and Disease (1919), wrote, "The germicidal action of certain metals in the colloidal state having been demonstrated, it only remained to apply them to the human subject, and this has been done in a large number of cases with astonishingly successful results. . They have the advantage of being rapidly fatal to the parasites both bacterial and otherwise without any toxic action on the host."

Today, modern technology allows us to produce ultrafine colloids where minute particles of one substance are combined with a solution. Although there are a number of ways to do this, an electrolysis generation produces the highest-quality and most effective colloid. In this method, electricity keeps the silver particles in suspension. The electrical charge in the particles repels them from each other, keeping them from falling to the bottom or clumping. In other methods, a stabilizer must be added to keep the silver particles in suspension; the stabilizer also reduces the effect of the silver.

Silver and health

An early silver product was Crede's ointment, a colloidal silver in an ointment base. It was used in the treatment of wounds and skin diseases. (Crede is said to have gotten the ointment idea from the use of silver foil as a wound dressing at Johns Hopkins University.) A few years later, A.C. Barnes developed a form of mild silver protein (called Argyrol) that was an effective local anti-infective. In 1928, A. Krause developed "Katadyn" silver, one of the earliest water-purifying products. Other products of this era included Black Silver, Fissan-Silver, Movidyn, and O-Silver. All of these products had the same purpose, to limit or eliminate pathogens from wounds and drinking water.

After falling out of favor in the early twentieth century due to prohibitive cost, poorly made products, and the discovery of less expensive sulfa drugs, silver again began to receive attention in the 1960s. In a quest to find an antiseptic that would be safe to use over large areas of the body (as was needed for burn treatment), a number of doctors reviewed 22 antiseptic compounds.

Dr. Harry Margraf noted this and recalled that one form of silver-silver nitrate-was still used by the medical profession. It was effective, but the drawback was that the high concentrations used could be corrosive and painful. Dr. Margraf began experimenting with more dilute solutions and settled on a 0.5 percent solution. It was effective in killing bacteria but still had drawbacks. Dr. Margraf and others continued testing silver compounds and found one, silver zinc allantoinate, which was eventually used to treat skin ulcers. At the same time, Dr. Charles Fox of Columbia University developed silver sulfadiazine. It is now used in burn centers throughout the country.

Electrically charged silver has been used in dental work. The Journal of Dental Research (57, no. 9-10 [1978]) published an article titled "Inhibition and killing of oral bacteria by silver ions generated with low intensity direct current." The authors wrote, "Silver cations generated by passing low intensity direct current through pure silver electrodes were found to be sufficiently antibacterial to cause sterilization of samples of infected dentin."

Minerals

Minerals are important in health. They are needed for the proper composition of our body fluids, in blood, in bone formation, and to maintain healthy nerve function.

Ideally, we should get our minerals from the foods we eat. Inorganic minerals in soil are drawn into plants, which turn them into organic substances that are easily used by the body. Eating plants is the best way to get minerals. We also get minerals from animals, which have already eaten plants.

Unfortunately, modern agricultural technology and the use of fertilizers and pesticides have had a detrimental effect on the mineral content of our soil. The result is that in many cases the mineral content of foods has decreased.

Many people turn to supplements to help them get their minerals. However, most of these contain inorganic minerals, and, according to Earl Mindell in The Vitamin Bible, only 2 to 10 percent of this type of mineral are absorbed by the body.

Next are chelated minerals. In this process, the mineral is chelated, or attached to a protein or an amino acid. This aids the body in digestion, and, again according to Mindell, chelated minerals are assimilated at levels three to ten times greater than inorganic minerals.

Finally, there are organic minerals. These plant-digested minerals are the best mineral source. Consuming them may be like receiving minerals from a plant source.

Suggested Reading

• Becker, R.O. Cross Currents. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1990.

• Butts, Allison. Silver: Economics, Metallurgy, and Use. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1967.

• Canty, Lloyd Michael, and Zane Baranowski. Colloidal Silver. Carmichael, CA: The Colloid Research Foundation, 1994.

• "Colloidal silver-A closer look." In Higher Education Library Publishers (H.E.L.P. ful news) 9-11.

• Hartman, Robert J. "Some colloidal medicines." Chapter 27 in Colloid Chemistry. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.

• Powell, Jim. "Our mightiest germ fighter." Science Digest (March 1978).

• Searle, A.B. The Use of Colloids in Health and Disease. New York, NY: E.P. Dutton, 1919.

• Thibodeau, E.A., S.L. Handelman, and R.E. Marquis. "Inhibition and killing of oral bacteria by silver ions generated with low intensity direct current." Journal of Dental Research  57, no. 9-10 (September-October, 1978).

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