Silver has long been revered by the medical community. Hippocrates, “the father of medicine,” knew of its healing and anti-disease properties. In World War I, before the event of antibiotics, it was an important weapon against disease on the battlefield. More recently, the FDA approved a breathing tube with a fine coating of silver, after it was established that it reduced the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. And that’s just one example of the many roles silver plays in medicine today. It is also added to bandages and wound-dressings, catheters and other medical instruments and is a key part of the technology behind X-rays.

Given its many applications, it is likely that you have encountered silver at a visit to the doctor, hospital or even being treated at home.