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This book is derived from a Symposium held at the 190th National
American Chemical Society Meeting, which was held in the Fall of
1985, in Chicago, and was sponsored by the Division of Polymeric
Materials: Science & Engineering. This Symposium was, in turn,
a follow-up on an earlier one held in Houston, TX, in the Spring of
1980, which was pub lished as the book *Biomedical and Dental
Applications of Polymers* [Plenum Press, New York, 1981]. In that
earlier book, our opening Preface passage quoted King David, *1
will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and made . ** * (Psalm
139:14). As we noted five years ago, sickness wonderfully of many
types does occur in our wonderfully made bodies, but much human
suffering can be aided by biomedical polymers. That earlier book
con sidered much of the fantastic progress that had been made in
biomedical polymers during the previous quarter century and brought
many of these topics up to date. That Symposium, and book, noted
that much help was available for the varied afflictions and
problems that sometimes beset, and upset, our God-given bodies, and
the promise of new and important advances was held out as a shining
ray of hope amidst the gloom of sickness and affliction. The
present volume is an update on the advances that have occurred
since the 1981 book and sets the stage for even greater advances in
the future.
Some have predicted that the coming several decades will be the
decades of "biotechnology," wherein cancer, birth defects, life
span increases, cosmetics, biodegradation, oil spills and
exploration, solid waste disposal, and almost every aspect of our
material life will be affected by this new area of science. There
will also be an extension of emphasis on giant molecules: DNA,
enzymes, polysaccharides, lignins, proteins, hemoglobin, and many
others. Biotechnology has been defined in various ways. In one
sense, this field is older than human history and references to the
human use of biotechnology-derived materials can be found in the
oldest human writings, such as the Bible. In this book,
biotechnology refers to the direct usage of naturally occurring
materials or their uses as a feedstock, including the associated
biological activities and applications of these materials.
Bioactive polymers, on the other hand, are polymers which exert
some type of activity on living organisms. These polymers are used
in agriculture, controlled release systems, medicine and many other
areas. The papers in this book describe polymers which essentially
combine features of biotechnology and bioactivity.
Polymers continue to show almost amazing versatility. We have
always known that polymers could be used for trinkets, toys and
dishes. Now, however, we are no longer surprised to encounter these
adaptable mate rials in almost every place we look. We find them in
our cars, tools, electronic devices, building materials, etc. The
use of polymeric mate rials in medicine is also well documented in
previous books by one of the Editors (Gebelein) and by others.
Likewise, the use of polymeric mate rials in pharmaceutical
applications, especially in controlled release systems, is also
well established. Nevertheless, the use of these ubiquitous
chemicals is far less ob vious in the field of cosmetics, although
modern cosmetic preparations rely heavily on polymers and this
trend is certain to increase. This book brings together much of the
basic information on polymers in cosmetics and compares this usage
with similar applications in pharmaceutical and medical
applications. Cosmetics, like medicine and pharmacy, dates back to
antiquity. We can find uses of perfumes, balms and ointments in
various old books, such as the Bible. For example, the use of
ointments and balms is noted more than thirty eight times, and
perfumes and related materials are cited at least twenty nine times
in the Bible."
The term biomimetic is comparatively new on the chemical scene, but
the concept has been utilized by chemists for many years.
Furthermore, the basic idea of making a synthetic material that can
imitate the func tions of natural materials probably could be
traced back into antiquity. From the dawn of creation, people have
probably attempted to duplicate or modify the activities of the
natural world. (One can even find allusions to these attempts in
the Bible; e. g., Genesis 30. ) The term "mimetic" means to imitate
or mimic. The word "mimic" means to copy closely, or to imitate
accurately. Biomimetic, which has not yet entered most
dictionaries, means to imitate or mimic some specific bio logical
function. Usually, the objective of biomimetics is to form some
useful material without the need of utilizing living systems. In a
simi lar manner, the term biomimetic polymers means creating
synthetic poly mers which imitate the activity of natural bioactive
polymers. This is a major advance in polymer chemistry because the
natural bioactive polymers are the basis of life itself. Thus,
biomimetic polymers imitate the life process in many ways. This
present volume delineates some of the recent progress being made in
this vast field of biomimetic polymers. Chemists have been making
biomimetic polymers for more than fifty years, although this term
wasn't used in the early investigations."
Some have predicted that the coming several decades will be the
decades of "biotechnology," wherein cancer, birth defects, life
span increases, cosmetics, biodegradation, oil spills and
exploration, solid waste disposal, and almost every aspect of our
material life will be affected by this new area of science. There
will also be an extension of emphasis on giant molecules: DNA,
enzymes, polysaccharides, lignins, proteins, hemoglobin, and many
others. Biotechnology has been defined in various ways. In one
sense, this field is older than human history and references to the
human use of biotechnology-derived materials can be found in the
oldest human writings, such as the Bible. In this book,
biotechnology refers to the direct usage of naturally occurring
materials or their uses as a feedstock, including the associated
biological activities and applications of these materials.
Bioactive polymers, on the other hand, are polymers which exert
some type of activity on living organisms. These polymers are used
in agriculture, controlled release systems, medicine and many other
areas. The papers in this book describe polymers which essentially
combine features of biotechnology and bioactivity.
Polymers continue to show almost amazing versatility. We have
always known that polymers could be used for trinkets, toys and
dishes. Now, however, we are no longer surprised to encounter these
adaptable mate rials in almost every place we look. We find them in
our cars, tools, electronic devices, building materials, etc. The
use of polymeric mate rials in medicine is also well documented in
previous books by one of the Editors (Gebelein) and by others.
Likewise, the use of polymeric mate rials in pharmaceutical
applications, especially in controlled release systems, is also
well established. Nevertheless, the use of these ubiquitous
chemicals is far less ob vious in the field of cosmetics, although
modern cosmetic preparations rely heavily on polymers and this
trend is certain to increase. This book brings together much of the
basic information on polymers in cosmetics and compares this usage
with similar applications in pharmaceutical and medical
applications. Cosmetics, like medicine and pharmacy, dates back to
antiquity. We can find uses of perfumes, balms and ointments in
various old books, such as the Bible. For example, the use of
ointments and balms is noted more than thirty eight times, and
perfumes and related materials are cited at least twenty nine times
in the Bible."
The term biotechnology has emerged on the contemporary scene fairly
recently, but the basic concept of utilizing natural materials,
either directly or in modified versions, dates back to antiquity.
If we search the ancient literature, such as the Bible, we find
hundreds of examples wherein people employed, or modified, natural
materials for a variety of important uses. As far back as the days
of Noah we find pitch, a natural material, being used as a caulk.
Clothing was made from animal skins and the products of several
plants. Today, we would consider these things as important
biotechnological developments. Likewise, the human use of polymeric
materials also has a long his tory. In fact, many of the original
materials used by mankind were poly mers derived from nature, such
as wood, flax, cotton, wool and animal skins, which were used for
shelter and clothing. In recent years, however, the concept of
biotechnology has taken on a new and renewed role in our society.
This is due to a combination of factors, including an increased
interest in environmental concerns and the desire to break free
from the stranglehold that petrochemicals have placed on our
society. If we can manufacture some of our polymers from renewable
resources, then we can expect to prepare them for many more years
into the future than we might if we could only depend on the petro
chemical resources.
This book is derived from a Symposium held at the 190th National
American Chemical Society Meeting, which was held in the Fall of
1985, in Chicago, and was sponsored by the Division of Polymeric
Materials: Science & Engineering. This Symposium was, in turn,
a follow-up on an earlier one held in Houston, TX, in the Spring of
1980, which was pub lished as the book *Biomedical and Dental
Applications of Polymers* [Plenum Press, New York, 1981]. In that
earlier book, our opening Preface passage quoted King David, *1
will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and made . ** * (Psalm
139:14). As we noted five years ago, sickness wonderfully of many
types does occur in our wonderfully made bodies, but much human
suffering can be aided by biomedical polymers. That earlier book
con sidered much of the fantastic progress that had been made in
biomedical polymers during the previous quarter century and brought
many of these topics up to date. That Symposium, and book, noted
that much help was available for the varied afflictions and
problems that sometimes beset, and upset, our God-given bodies, and
the promise of new and important advances was held out as a shining
ray of hope amidst the gloom of sickness and affliction. The
present volume is an update on the advances that have occurred
since the 1981 book and sets the stage for even greater advances in
the future.
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