Silver spoon

 

Silver spoon

Bust of Hippocrates

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Hels wondered if the giving of silver Apostle spoons as christening gifts gave rise to the saying, ‘born with a silver spoon in his mouth.’ Of course, I had to try and find out.

What does it mean? We understand it as being born into a wealthy family, particularly one with inherited wealth. Most of the ancient ‘noble’ families of the UK gained their riches and influence through the largesse of whichever monarch they were serving in times long since past.

In modern times, in much the same way, those supporting and endorsing influential people are rewarded with lucrative jobs and titles. When they fail, as so often they do, they are usually shunted sideways into other profitable rôles, or even promoted.

Silver has germicidal properties, first recognised and described by Hippocrates (460-377 BC) Ancient Greeks and Romans kept water in silver containers because they believed the silver would keep the water fresh.

During the bubonic plague of the Black Death pandemic, which raged throughout Europe from 1346-1353, killing perhaps fifty per cent of the population, rich families gave their children silver spoons to suck to ward off the disease. The phrase probably arose from this custom and first appeared in print in 1719-1721. In Elizabethan times (1558-1603) children of wealthy families were given silver rattles and teething sticks.

Such items are still frequently given to babies.

Place settings on the dining table were uncommon before the 18^th century. Guests would arrive carrying their own spoons, in as casual and familiar a fashion as people now carry their wallets and iPhones.

 Owning a silver spoon was an indicator of social class and usually the sign of a landowner. It was important not to be wrongly classified as a serf or servant, for, although dirt could be found under the fingernails of any farmer or artisan, possession of a silver spoon was a mark of ‘respectability’ and belonging to the lower middle class.

 Silver is a naturally occurring mineral found in the earth’s crust. It is a precious metal and has the symbol Ag, from the Latin argentum, meaning ‘silver.’ It is anti-microbial and used in many products, like cosmetics, catheters and bone cement, among others.

Silver ions ‘can kill bacteria by making their cell membranes more permeable,’ and ‘Once it has entered the bacterial cell, it accumulates as silver nanoparticles with large surface area, causing cell death.’

Silver can make antibiotics many times more effective, by a factor of thousands. That all sounds wonderful, but there are caveats. Silver should not be used indiscriminately, because it can cause a condition called ‘argyria,’ in which the skin changes to a bluish-grey colour. The change is permanent.

Paul Karason (1950-2013) from Bellingham, Washington, known as Papa Smurf or the Blue Man, turned blue because he took colloidal silver to combat dermatitis, sinus problems and acid reflux. The Blue Fugates, also known as the Blue People of Kentucky, had a rare genetic trait that caused blue skin. There is more information here and here.

 Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth? I wasn’t and neither was my husband, and therefore, nor were our children. We have both met many who were thus blessed, most of them pleasant characters, some less so.