ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of recorded history, natural polymers have been utilized by humans to pro mote health and healing. For example, early Egyptians used linen for suturing wounds. In the twentieth century, not long after the development of synthetic polymers, use of polymers in a broad range of biomedical applications has been the focus of many researchers and clinicians (1). The rapid advancement of biomedical research led to many creative applications for bio compatible polymers. As modern medicine discerns more mechanisms both of physiology and of pathophysiology, the approach to healing is to mimic or, if possible, recreate the physiology of healthy functioning.
