Silver Needles

[JonnyP]

I'm not sure which category sprouts would come under..

Oi....Sprouts are lovely and very good to eat...

 

[bikething]

Oi....Sprouts are lovely and very good to eat...

you sound like my mum !!!

 

[Draven]

A few notes about Silver yoinked from Wikipedia Just to expand on its uses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver

...Phoenicians used to store water, wine, and vinegar in silver bottles to prevent spoiling. In the early 1900s people would put silver dollars in milk bottles to prolong the milk's freshness...

Silver compounds were used successfully to prevent infection in World War I before the advent of antibiotics

In addition, Samsung has introduced washing machines with a final rinse containing silver ions to provide several days of antibacterial protection in the clothes.[5] Kohler has introduced a line of toilet seats that have silver ions embedded to kill germs.

The FDA has recently approved an endotracheal breathing tube with a fine coat of silver for use in mechanical ventilation, after studies found it reduced the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Today, various kinds of silver compounds, or devices to make solutions or colloids containing silver, are sold as remedies for a wide variety of diseases. Although most are harmless, some people using these home-made solutions excessively have developed argyria over a period of months or years

No mention of silver needles, or any form of silver used to detect poison, though.

Google searches turned up little, but after seeing one site that said that silver chopsticks were used, I did a search on those and found the following:

In fact, during dynastic times it was thought that silver chopsticks would turn black if they came into contact with poisoned food. It is now known that silver has no reaction to arsenic or cyanide, but if rotten eggs, onion, or garlic are used, the hydrogen sulfide they release might cause these chopsticks to change color.

Source: http://research.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/chpstck.htm

All in all, doesn't sound particularly useful to me; some poisons won't react, some will, and some edible things will react. Interesting historical application, though far from watertight.

Peace!

PS: Interested in seeing the tests nonetheless! It'd be interesting if some tests were conducted with poisonous plants/berries/seeds/nuts that are oft mistaken for edible ones, and then with their edible counterparts; just to see how it pans out!

 

[British Red]

you sound like my mum !!!

I'm with you bikething,

The only difference between sprouts and bogeys? Kids eat bogeys!

Sprouts are the vegetable of the ninth circle of hell!

Red

 

[Pang]

A few notes about Silver yoinked from Wikipedia Just to expand on its uses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver



No mention of silver needles, or any form of silver used to detect poison, though.

Google searches turned up little, but after seeing one site that said that silver chopsticks were used, I did a search on those and found the following:



Source: http://research.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/chpstck.htm

All in all, doesn't sound particularly useful to me; some poisons won't react, some will, and some edible things will react. Interesting historical application, though far from watertight.

Peace!

PS: Interested in seeing the tests nonetheless! It'd be interesting if some tests were conducted with poisonous plants/berries/seeds/nuts that are oft mistaken for edible ones, and then with their edible counterparts; just to see how it pans out!

Great work, well it seems that this silver needle thing is really bogus then afterall.

 

[andy_e]

The issue with cyanide is interesting ... In some cultures it's believed to encourage thick, shiny hair growth.

Thought that was Arsenic?

 

[Toddy]

Damn D'you know I think you're right

I need to go look up cyanides.......

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

Cyanides for disease prevention not to be beautiful

It is found in things like bamboo shoots, cassava, almonds and the like. It is theorised that taking minute quantities every day helps to prevent malaria and sickle cell disease.

I'll find on line links.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Draven]

Great work, well it seems that this silver needle thing is really bogus then afterall.

I wouldn't say that conclusively mate, there's every possibility that it did work with poisons that were typical of the time and region, but I was unable to find any specifics as far as that's concerned. Though I do think it's too imprecise for Bushcraft, it's an interesting bit of history nonetheless!

 

[Toddy]

"People eat foods with poisons in them every day, but we have learned ways to prepare foods to make them safe. Cassava, an important food for more than 400 million people in tropical countries, contains the poison cyanide. Cassava is a starchy tuber, like a potato. People usually boil or dry cassava to make it safe. This takes most of the poison out, but a little is still left. In small amounts the poison in cassava is not harmful. Sometimes poisons in plants can be used to treat sickness, if they are taken in tiny amounts or the plants are prepared a certain way. Scientists think that when people eat cassava every day, the tiny amount of cyanide may actually help protect them against certain diseases, like malaria and sickle cell anemia. " Quote from http://wonderwise.unl.edu/14africa/a-plant.htm

I'm sure I've seen a better link somewhere though.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[leon-1]

Silver is one of those things that will crop up every now and again from i'ts use in water purification down to its use in medical practice as both a bactericide and an algeacide.

In recent years there have been a few more studies as to what it can and cannot do and what benefits it has over other metals or compounds.

It does have a number of characteristics which are similar to those of copper.

As far as I am aware the main cause of silver tarnishing is sulhpur content in the air and the resulting tarnish on the surface of the metal itself is silver sulphide. Effectively if you expose silver to the correct elements then it will blacken very quickly.

If you expose silver to oxygen, hydrogen, and sulphur it will tarnish and bearing in mind that one of the major contributors to acid rain is sulphuric acid (H2SO4) an that this travels around the atmosphere it's no wonder I have problems keeping my medals clean.