/oss/taxonomy/term/2982/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/no-silver-lining-colloidal-silver <p>As early as the ancient dynasties of Egypt, silver coins were placed in the drinking vessels of the nobility to protect them from harm.  Of course, this was not the result of any scientific investigation, the practice probably originated from some superstitious belief about the magical properties of precious metals.  Over the years it became apparent that the silver coins really did have an effect, they kept water from becoming slimy.  Storage of water in silver vessels was an obvious extension of this observation, affording the well-to-do some protection from water-borne diseases that were</p> Wed, 13 Oct 2021 16:35:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8896 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/should-we-be-anti-all-anti-microbial-products <p>We received a question about antibacterial soaps, namely why should or shouldn’t we be using them? And if we’re supposed to avoid antibacterial soap, why is Purell, an antimicrobial agent, allowed?</p> Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:29:04 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6919 at /oss