Abstract
A unique specimen of argyria is preserved in the Morgagni Museum of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Padua (Italy). It is a stuffed head belonging to a man who decided to cure his syphilis by himself with the so-called infernal stone (silver nitrate) every day for years, thus developing argyria in the second half of the nineteenth century. Paleopathological and historical studies were performed on the specimen to confirm the diagnosis of argyria. Furthermore, a morphological investigation of the specimen was conducted with histological and ultrastructural investigations, including environmental scanning electron microscopy and electron dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy, recording high presence of silver in the dermis and epidermis and also other chemical elements correlated to the “infernal stone.” A comparison with actual cases may also lead to a common feature: a potential dependence on the perceived benefits brought by silver compound that may sustain a further prolonged intake.
Data availability
Not applicable.
Code availability
Not applicable.
References
Zanatta A, Zampieri F (2018) Origin and development of medical museum in Padua. Curator: Mus J 61(3):401–414
Wadhera A, Fung M (2005) Systemic argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal silver. Dermatol Online J 11(1):12
Lansdown ABG (2006) Silver in health care: antimicrobial effects and safety in use. Curr Probl Dermatol 33:17–34
Coletti F (1862) Argirosi per ventenne applicazione della pietra infernale (?) sulla lingua. Gaz Med Ital Provincie Venete 5:277–278
Zanatta A, Scattolin G, Thiene G, Zampieri F (2016) Phrenology between anthropology and neurology in a nineteenth-century collection of skulls. Hist Psychiatry 27(4):482–492
Grandesso-Silvestri O (1871) Cura dell’argirosi. Gaz Med Ital Provincie Venete 14:377–379
Neumann I (1877) Ueber Argyria; Teinte bronzée s. ardoisée de la peau; Bleifarbe der Haut. Med Jahrb: 369–384
Zampieri F, Zanatta A, RippaBonati M (2012) L’enigma della “suicida punita”. Un grottesco preparato anatomico di Lodovico Brunetti (1813–1899) vincitore della medaglia d’oro all’Esposizione Universale di Parigi del 1867. Physis–Riv Int Stor Sci 48(1–2):297–338
Sala A (1647) Opera medico-chymica quae extant omnia. Frankfurt am Main
Fourcroy AF (1791) La médecine eclairée par le sciences physiques, ou journal des découvertes relatives aux différentes parties de l’art de guérir. Chez Buisson, Paris
Albers JA (1816) Observations on a change of colour in the skin, produced by the internal use of the nitrate of silver. Med Chir Trans 7:284–295
Fuchs CH (1840) Die krankhaften Veraenderungen der Haut und ihrer Anhaenge in nosologischer und therapeutischer Beziehung dargestellt. Dieterich, Göttingen
Mengatto CM, Dalberto Cda S, Scheeren B, Barros SG (2013) Association between sleep bruxism and gastroesophageal reflux disease. J Prosthet Dent 110(5):349–355
Zanatta A, Zampieri F, Scattolin G, Rippa Bonati M (2016) Occupational markers and pathology of the castrato singer Gaspare Pacchierotti (1740–1821). Sci Rep 6(1):28463
Travis C (2010) Differential diagnosis cyanosis versus argyria: when your patient remains blue–a 48-year-old trauma patient with persistent cyanosis. J Emerg Nurs 36(5):466–467
Funding
This investigation was supported by the Registry for Cardio-Cerebro-Vascular Pathology, Veneto Region, Venice, Italy, and by A.R.C.A Foundation, Padua, Italy.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Giovanni Magno: Conceptualization; formal analysis and investigation; writing, original draft; writing, review and editing
Fabio Zampieri: Conceptualization; validation; writing — review and editing
Gaetano Thiene: Supervision
Cristina Basso: Supervision — review and editing
Federico Zorzi: Formal analysis
Mila Della Barbera: Data curation; formal analysis; writing — review and editing
Alberto Zanatta: Conceptualization; formal analysis and investigation; validation; writing — review and editing
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Magno, G., Zampieri, F., Thiene, G. et al. When self-medication goes wrong: the case of argyria at the Padua Morgagni Museum of Pathology. Virchows Arch 480, 1283–1288 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-021-03139-w
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-021-03139-w