Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just as a PSA, lead in any quantity is toxic and particularly so for children. Copper, silver, and gold are in the same family of elements (group 11) and lead is in the carbon family. Very different characteristics. edit: I should also note (since bringing up families of elements) that - supporting your anecdote - silver has known and studied antimicrobial properties ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16766878 ).…
No kidding about the silver being co-opted by quacks. If "colloidal silver" is taken in any decent quantities, it'll turn you a little blue. This is a libertarian guy who's attempted to run for a couple of different positions in the USA: http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38297000/jpg/_38297733_bl...
Turns out that non-ionic silver at concentrations of 10 to 30 ppm by weight in otherwise pure water of neutral pH will kill germs quite remarkably. Without the risk of argyria to any degree upon consuming at least a pint a day with regular sun exposure in addition.
As has been known for years, the depicted politician is suffering from consumption of an overdose of silver in general, likely orders of magnitude beyond the level needed for germkilling, and also likely to have been in ionic form. One big slug of poorly-crafted material created according to any number of questionable procedures could be enough to cause this type of permanent discoloration.
Probably not the kind of thing to try at home.
Although it is sometimes suspected that overdoses of ionic silver occurred often enough when cooking or serving acidic foods in sterling kitchenware over the centuries to royalty, that the term "bluebloods" was coined.
Also, there is some possibility the blueness used to represent some dieties in India gives a good idea of what a prototype royal figure might have looked like if too much silver was consumed intentionally or not.
OTOH, a true colloid crafted after decades of professional silver electrochemistry, of known concentration as measured by state-of-the-art laboratory techniques, can be considered almost like a completely different animal.
If I ever meet anyone with the guts to take it to clinical trials, I'll gladly supply the material.
All it takes is one physician single-handedly at the least, as long as nobody is in a hurry, it could be done in spare time like the process was invented, no deadlines. Simply the confidence to know you can accomplish what others do not dream of doing on their own.