Reflections

摘要

Gold has a long history as a therapeutic agent, first as the triturated metal, then as a soluble salt made by the alchemists and used as an elixir of life, later incorporated into pharmacopoeias for various illnesses, currently used to treat selected medical conditions. This article provides an overview of the medicinal uses of gold and looks at how the use and value of gold as a medicine have changed over thousands of years.