Quote (sirthom @ Dec 30 2021 04:45pm)
Historically, silver has been used for thousands of years as one of the world’s strongest antimicrobial agents. Many physicians from ancient times used silver, including Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” who used silver to treat an endless series of conditions. In the Middle Ages, silver spoons were given by wealthy godparents to babies as christening presents. It is often said that those “born with a silver spoon in their mouth” benefited from silver’s purifying and antimicrobial properties. During the bubonic plague, the “Black Death” of the 14th century, it was suggested that the poor may have been disproportionately affected in part because the rich were afforded extra immune support from their silverware and plates.
This was the best I could find on short notice.
I am aware of the Shakespearean quote.
He was referring to people of affluence.
Irregardless, silver does in fact work.
During the bubonic plague, the rich could afford having their homes/businesses cleaned regularly by staff, which cut down on the prevalence of the rats which carried the disease. They could also afford to flee to the countryside, whereas the poor could not, and were concentrated more closely together in urban environments.
https://theconversation.com/how-the-rich-reacted-to-the-bubonic-plague-has-eerie-similarities-to-todays-pandemic-135925