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its my understanding that "Blue blood" comes from the fact that most of them were pale and you can really see their blue veins, not that they were all poisoned

its my understanding that "Blue blood" comes from the fact that most of them were pale and you can really see their blue veins, not that they were all poisoned by their silverware. its my understanding that silverware is very safe, and getting silver poisoning from eating off it is extremely unlikely. they'd have to be eating their silverware to notice any difference

DoreenMichele 7y ago
The term “blue blood” came to be associated with the aristocracy simply because it was not uncommon in earlier times for European nobility to have skin that appeared to have a blue cast. The bluish (or sometimes greenish) discoloration of their skin was often caused by a condition known as Argyria. Argyria it the result of ingested silver particles that are not able to pass through the body. Historically, this was caused by particles from silver eating utensils being swallowed along with food or silver being taken for medicinal purposes. Aristocrats were originally the ones who could afford medicine and who enjoyed the daily privilege of eating off of silver plates, drinking from silver vessels, and, as the saying goes, being born with “a silver spoon in their mouth.” Thus, Argyria was a condition that was more common among the upper class. http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-words-phrases/blue-blood-silver-spoon-985#.XM6si_5lAW4 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-words-ph...
- mrob 7y ago
  If this is true, why doesn't it show up in paintings? Your source is written by a "color expert", not a historian, and she cites no evidence. The veins showing through pale skin theory sounds more likely to me.
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    Paintings were very expensive, upper class commodities. They frequently idealized their subjects. One British king had portraits delivered to him of a potential mate and was disappointed when she showed up and wasn't as attractive as her portrait. One source mocked him for it, saying he should have realized it was probably idealized, after all, it was his own portrait artist he sent, a guy who had been making him look good for years. Colloidal silver still sometimes causes blue skin: https://supplementpolice.com/colloidal-silver/ https://supplementpolice.com/colloidal-silver/ See also: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria
    - hollerith 7y ago
      The one person I know who probably has argyria has dark-grey skin with a very slightly bluish tint.
    - mrob 7y ago
      "While silver is potentially toxic to humans at high doses, the risk of serious harm from low doses, given over a short term, is slight". If something does no identifiable harm, and is a sign of high social class, wouldn't "idealizing" mean exaggerating argyria, not hiding it?
      - DoreenMichele 7y ago
        Everyone here, including you, is dismissing the idea that it's actually harmful. Maybe the people who made those paintings didn't see it that way. "Born with a silver spoon in their mouth" is not usually a nice thing to say. It usually means they are basically overprivileged assholes. In chelation groups, metal poisoning is generally viewed as having a negative impact on the personality. Perhaps people who routinely dealt with "blue bloods" had enough first-hand experience to notice that visible signs of silver poisoning correlated to asshole behavior. Anyway, I don't actually think the questions being put to me are in good faith from people sincerely curious about my knowledge or my opinions. I think the pattern of downvotes and questions suggests everyone here thinks I'm a clueless idiot and they are trying to politely let me know how stupid I am because civility is demanded by the rules of the forum. So continuing to try to answer questions in good faith is likely making me look stubborn, pigheaded, difficult and so much of a nutjob that there is no hope of reaching me. It's not a dance I care to engage in further. Adieu.
        mrob 7y ago
        >"Born with a silver spoon in their mouth" is not usually a nice thing to say. It usually means they are basically overprivileged assholes. The concept of "overpriviledge" is modern.
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    It derives from middle ages Spanish racism. Visible veins to show their fine white skinned blood wasn't contaminated by the dark skinned Moors. The Moors occupied territory in parts of what is now Spain and Portugal for nearly a thousand years.

DoreenMichele 7y ago

The term “blue blood” came to be associated with the aristocracy simply because it was not uncommon in earlier times for European nobility to have skin that appeared to have a blue cast. The bluish (or sometimes greenish) discoloration of their skin was often caused by a condition known as Argyria. Argyria it the result of ingested silver particles that are not able to pass through the body. Historically, this was caused by particles from silver eating utensils being swallowed along with food or silver being taken for medicinal purposes. Aristocrats were originally the ones who could afford medicine and who enjoyed the daily privilege of eating off of silver plates, drinking from silver vessels, and, as the saying goes, being born with “a silver spoon in their mouth.” Thus, Argyria was a condition that was more common among the upper class. http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-words-phrases/blue-blood-silver-spoon-985#.XM6si_5lAW4 http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-words-ph...

mrob 7y ago
If this is true, why doesn't it show up in paintings? Your source is written by a "color expert", not a historian, and she cites no evidence. The veins showing through pale skin theory sounds more likely to me.
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  Paintings were very expensive, upper class commodities. They frequently idealized their subjects. One British king had portraits delivered to him of a potential mate and was disappointed when she showed up and wasn't as attractive as her portrait. One source mocked him for it, saying he should have realized it was probably idealized, after all, it was his own portrait artist he sent, a guy who had been making him look good for years. Colloidal silver still sometimes causes blue skin: https://supplementpolice.com/colloidal-silver/ https://supplementpolice.com/colloidal-silver/ See also: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria
  - hollerith 7y ago
    The one person I know who probably has argyria has dark-grey skin with a very slightly bluish tint.
  - mrob 7y ago
    "While silver is potentially toxic to humans at high doses, the risk of serious harm from low doses, given over a short term, is slight". If something does no identifiable harm, and is a sign of high social class, wouldn't "idealizing" mean exaggerating argyria, not hiding it?
    - DoreenMichele 7y ago
      Everyone here, including you, is dismissing the idea that it's actually harmful. Maybe the people who made those paintings didn't see it that way. "Born with a silver spoon in their mouth" is not usually a nice thing to say. It usually means they are basically overprivileged assholes. In chelation groups, metal poisoning is generally viewed as having a negative impact on the personality. Perhaps people who routinely dealt with "blue bloods" had enough first-hand experience to notice that visible signs of silver poisoning correlated to asshole behavior. Anyway, I don't actually think the questions being put to me are in good faith from people sincerely curious about my knowledge or my opinions. I think the pattern of downvotes and questions suggests everyone here thinks I'm a clueless idiot and they are trying to politely let me know how stupid I am because civility is demanded by the rules of the forum. So continuing to try to answer questions in good faith is likely making me look stubborn, pigheaded, difficult and so much of a nutjob that there is no hope of reaching me. It's not a dance I care to engage in further. Adieu.
      - mrob 7y ago
        >"Born with a silver spoon in their mouth" is not usually a nice thing to say. It usually means they are basically overprivileged assholes. The concept of "overpriviledge" is modern.
- NeedMoreTea 7y ago
  It derives from middle ages Spanish racism. Visible veins to show their fine white skinned blood wasn't contaminated by the dark skinned Moors. The Moors occupied territory in parts of what is now Spain and Portugal for nearly a thousand years.