Fibrin: The Very First Biomimetic Glue — Still a Great Tool

The phenomenon of blood clotting fascinated even the very earliest of philosophers and scientists. They marveled at the fact that the body could repair itself, stopping blood flow and healing its own defect. The idea of using the clotting mechanism to heal and close wounds also seems to have been a dream of the first medical doctors. Galen (129–199 AD) observed the clotting process in more detail and described “fibrae” or “threads” in both circulating blood and in clots and in 1666 Malpighi found “long tough threads” and “a nerve-like network of threads” in washed clots. These “threads” or fibers would later be identified as fibrin, the substance that is the end product of the coagulation cascade and that forms the basis of the blood clot. In 1905, the modern coagulation cascade as we know it was consolidated by Morawitz.