Silver was used during Greek and Roman times to control bodily infection and prevent food spoilage. Hippocrates (know as the Father of Medicine) used silver to heal wounds and the King of Persia used a silver container to carry water to prevent contamination. It was already known in these ancient times that silver was special... before modern germicides and antibiotics, it was known that disease-causing pathogens could not survive in the presence of silver. No wonder silver was (and still is) used for drinking vessels, cutlery and dishes. Just think about the Catholic Church using a silver goblet for the communal communion cup...
Even Pliny the Elder (the Roman Scholar) wrote about the ability of silver to heal wounds by preventing infection. During WWI silver leaf was used to combat infection in wounds, but it was not until the 1970s that silver made a come-back in the medical field. Silver sulphadiazine is now used in the treatment of burn victims to kill invasive burn bacteria and permit wounds to heal.
Elastoplast now has Silver Healing bandages. Check their website, for more info.
$150.00, 8x10 oil on canvas