During the past 2000 years, many civilizations have recognized the properties of silver in preventing diseases. For instance, the Romans used silver nitrate therapeutically, and the hermetic and alchemical writings of Paracelsus speak of the virtues of silver as a healing substance.

In the 1800s, several physicians discovered the antibacterial (antigerm) qualities of silver and applied them to their practice of medicine. They used silver nitrate successfully in the treatment of skin ulcers, compound fractures and suppurating (draining puss) wounds. In 1881, Carl Crede pioneered the installation of dilute silver nitrate in the eye of neonates to prevent gonorrheal ophthalmia, a technique which has been in widespread use ever since. Von Naegeli and others in 1893 realized that the antibacterial effects of silver were primarily due to the silver ion. He coined the term oligodynamic to mean that a small amount of silver is released from the metallic surface when placed in contact with liquids.

At the turn of the century, Dr. William Halstead, one of the founding fathers of modern surgery, advocated the use of silver foil dressings for wounds. These dressings were used extensively until just after World War II, and were listed in the Physician ? Desk Reference until 1955, when the use of antibiotics became widespread.

In the early 1970 , Drs. Becker, Marino and Spadaro of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Syracuse, New York pioneered the study of silver-coated fabrics for the treatment of complex bone infections. Having studied with Dr. Becker, Dr. A. B. Flick began developing broader clinical applications for silver nylon fabrics in partnership with Dr. Becker during his Orthopedic Surgery residency training at the University of Vermont. Dr. Flick subsequently entered private practice and continued his research independently.

During roughly the same time, three other university centered research teams also investigated the wound healing properties of silver plated fabrics with the application of an electrical potential. Dr. Alvarez, at the Department of Dermatology, University of Miami, in 1985, studied the effect of electrically activated silver-coated fabrics on an animal model of partial thickness skin wounds in pigs. Dr. Marino and Dr. Albright, at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Louisiana State University 1983 - 1986, studied the effect of electrically activated silver plated fabrics on chronic bone infections in humans. Dr. Chu and Dr. McManus, at the Army Surgical Research Center, Fort Sam Houston 1989 - 1996, studied the effect of electrically activated and non-electrically activated silver-coated fabrics on several animal burn wound models.