Any mention of the word "Silk" and thoughts of brightly coloured, generally unwanted Christmas presents sprang to mind. it was often very difficult to bring the conversation back to the serious stuff.
Any follower of M.A.S.H. will understand the importance of silk in medicine over the years. Hawkeye and BJ in their mobile operating theatre calling for 3-0 silk to suture patients is ingrained in my TV memory and silk has been used for years in cruciate ligament repairs too.
Now, according to my good friends on the BBC Health website, scientists at Tufts University, Massachusetts have made orthopaedic screws made from 100% pure silk which are designed to lock bone fixings together. Their work suggested that silk is a promising bioengineering material which could eventually dissolve in the body once the bone has mended and not respond badly to cold weather or set off X-Ray machines in airports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26438497
So what's so different between this line of research and our use of the same fabric to treat skin problems? The answer is simple - Nothing! We both have the capacity to change lives for the good and we both represent serious science.
If silk knickers on the NHS reduce the intolerable discomfort of Lichen Sclerosus or reduce the number of times somebody is inconvenienced by recurrent Thrush then their use is as valid as any other medication.