I'm not a biochemist, but at least I know how to search the web.
Lots of doctors do use silver as an antibiotic coating on medical devices. Many wound dressings containing silver sulfadiazine or silver nanomaterials
may be used on external infections, however there's very little evidence of it's effectiveness. Ref.
Colloidal silver and formulations containing silver salts were used by physicians in the early 20th century, but their use was largely discontinued in
the 1940s following the development of safer and effective modern antibiotics.
There is tentative evidence that silver coatings on endotracheal breathing tubes may reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Ref.
The silver ion (Ag+) is bioactive and in sufficient concentration readily kills bacteria in vitro. Silver exhibits low toxicity in the human body, and
minimal risk is expected due to clinical exposure by inhalation, ingestion, or dermal application. Ref.
Since the 1990s, colloidal silver has again been marketed as an alternative medicine, often with extensive "cure-all" claims. Again, there's little
evidence that most of these (or any) are effective.
Google is your friend.
As for tin, it isn't very toxic, mostly because in elemental form it doesn't get oxidized and thus remains just tin metal. The compounds of it aren't
as toxic as many other heavy metals, but that doesn't make it "safe" either.
Also I doubt the tin used by Native Americans was free from lead and other actually toxic heavy metals, so their continued use of it may have been
partially from killed brain cells that kept them from realizing they were poising themselves! No offense, it's isn't/wasn't their fault.
[Edited on 16-6-2015 by Molecular Manipulations] |
