Silver was once valued in the ancient world for its medicinal properties. The Phoenicians observed that food items stored in silver vessels stay fresh for a significantly longer time. Modern science has figured out that silver ions bond to and disassemble microbial enzymes, causing the bacterial cell to literally fall apart, while causing no damage to animal cells. Microparticle silver has been applied to bandages since WWI and are currently being researched and applied to antibacterial resistant diseases, such as MSRA and H5N1.