Silver is most commonly known for its use as an investment commodity. It’s well known for its uses in the making of jewelry, and as a crucial metal in the industrial sectors. However, not many people know that silver is also crucial in the field of medicine. I know what you’re thinking—what difference does it make whether silver can be used in medicine? Well, it drives up demand for physical silver, which in turn drives up the precious metal’s intrinsic value.
I’m sorry, crypto folks, but you can’t inject your favorite altcoins into your bloodstream.
[The information shown in the pie chart is from 2014, but I believe that it is likely still relevant. Image Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Uses-of-silver-in-different-sectors-SOURCE-World-Silver-Survey-2014-The-Silver_fig1_280686023]
Silver is utilized as an antiseptic because of its ability to kill microorganisms. Additionally, silver can be found in a variety of disinfectants. Ulcers and wounds can be treated with silver nitrate salt. In addition to this, silver can be utilized to sanitize drinking water and combat unpleasant body odors.
[Silver Nitrate AgNO3 in the stick form. https://www.britannica.com/science/silver-nitrate]
Silver, on the other hand, can cause some unpleasant side effects, including skin responses in a localized area. Because silver can cause a greying of the skin when exposed to sunlight, the area of the skin that was treated with silver-containing medicine should constantly be protected from the sun. Ingestion of medical silver is not suggested due to the unpleasant side effects that have been associated with its use. Consuming silver might result in discolouration of the skin (turning blue).
In the past, many surgical instruments were made out of silver. This was made possible by the smooth surface of the metal, which also had an antibacterial effect. However, silver does have some drawbacks in this context, including the fact that metal wears out rapidly and corrodes during the process of sterilization, which in turn makes cleaning difficult. Nowadays, stainless steel, titanium, and tantalum are the materials of choice for open-wound surgical equipment.