There are three important things to know about the swim bladder. The first (and the only one related to fish) is that it operates like a submarine gas tank, allowing its owner to dive and surface at will.

The second is that when it is extracted, dried and turned into a powder called isinglass, it filters out unwanted particles in beer and wine, making these beverages drinkable but not suitable for vegetarians (this fact does not Widely spread by winemakers or vintners).

The third application of swim bladder may be more important: it can heal wounds. Not only normal cuts and abrasions, but also ulcerative and persistent lesions that can last for weeks, months, or even years that cannot be treated with conventional treatment.

The 66-year-old Maurice Parkinson from Southampton can attest to this. At the age of three, he was badly burned while playing by the open fireplace.

"75% of my burns were mainly my legs and lower body," he recalled. "I spent two years in the burn department of the hospital, and most of my body underwent plastic surgery. The famous plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe gave me life, just like he was right Many fighter pilots with severe burns were also in World War II."

At the age of 51, Parkinson had to repair his tailbone area with skin grafts due to persistent problems. In the past three years, his skin happened to have cracks in that area. The wound is about 30 mm long and 30 mm wide, but sometimes one or two other small holes appear in the area, and there are similar healing problems. "It may take six to nine months for the wound to heal, but this is only temporary, before it ruptures again," he said.

Despite being told by two plastic surgeons that there was nothing he could do, the determined Parkinson began an extensive reading course, which led him to discover a wound healing method that was popular in the 18th century.

In a paper in 1773, scientist Humphrey Jackson described the purification process of putting isinglass into a vat of beer, and specifically pointed out how isinglass mixed with malt liquor attracts what he calls malt liquor. "Clots" and bring them to the bottom of the bucket.

His research sparked an upsurge in the manufacture of isinglass in the UK. The footnote of his report, in Volume 63 of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, records how approximately 40 tons of reports were produced based on his findings.

But the use of isinglass is not limited to making wine less lumpy. It has proven itself in the collection and removal of unwanted substances in alcohol, and it is used to treat wound infections. Soon, it became an indispensable ingredient in the "court plaster", so called because it was used by elegant and wealthy people.

Palace plaster is the forerunner of our modern plaster. Doctors in the 18th century simply did not use elastic bandage strips, but used a certain length of silk. Instead of antiseptic cream, they use isinglass.

More than two centuries later, it was used to treat the thorny wounds of Morris Parkinson. finally.

"Over the years, I have tried many dressings," he said. "Immersed silver dressing, foam dressing; I even tried several types of air cushions to sit on to relieve stress. However, after spending some time studying wound treatments around the world, I came to the conclusion that collagen dressings It might be useful."

This is where the isinglass comes in. The clue lies in the word "coller", which means "sticky" in French.

In short, natural and intact collagen provides a natural framework or matrix for the growth of new tissues. More importantly, the extraction process of fish gelatin retains the key triple helix structure, which involves the winding of the three polypeptides or the amino acid chains that make up collagen.

As for the fish species most suitable for extracting swim bladder, carp and sturgeon are the first choice, followed by catfish. However, in 1795, a Scottish engineer named William Murdoch developed a cheaper isinglass made from dried cod.

After reading the benefits of Pisces collagen, Parkinson needed to find a British company for marketing. After further investigation, he found a small Bedfordshire company called Medira that sourced collagen from Chennai, India. He began to use their various dressings, in flake, spongy and granular forms.

After using the sponge dressing seven times and collagen particles twice, he found that the wound had healed.

"I am moved and grateful," Parkinson said. "For three years, I had to wear various dressings and spent a lot of time visiting clinics, doctors and surgeons. But this treatment only took eight weeks."

He is not the only British patient who is in debt due to isinglass. After an accident on vacation in Sardinia, she suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured shin and calf. Maureen Gale, a pensioner in Leicestershire, suffered a fixation screw in her leg. ulcer.

"I went to the clinic twice a week for two months, but it just couldn't heal," Gale said. "When the hospital asked me if I would try this fish-bladder treatment, I was ready to give it a try," she added. "Within eight weeks, my ulcer healed completely."

In the Plastic Surgery Department of St. Thomas Hospital, clinical nurse expert Gaby de Luca has seen the value of using fish collagen dressings to treat various wounds that do not respond to conventional treatments.

"We found a faster healing rate than other more basic wound dressings," she said, and reported in a co-authored paper in the Journal of Diabetic Foot: "When applied topically, collagen acts as a hemostatic agent and helps Stimulate the growth of new tissue in the wound bed. This advanced wound care intervention has the potential to increase healing rates, reduce symptoms and improve quality of life, while reducing long-term healthcare costs."

Another advantage of fish-derived collagen is that it does not have the same cultural or religious issues as collagen extracted from pigs or beef cattle. Or, for that matter, the possibility of mad cow disease.

However, what is more important is the way that fish collagen particles can be applied to wounds in the form of granules or biodegradable sponges without using a dressing to fix them in place. This is a key factor when it comes to treating patients with a severe skin fragility disorder called epidermolysis bullosa or EB, which manifests as open ulcers and wounds.

“Patients with severe forms of EB often show fear of new products because they worry that they may cause pain and trauma when removed,” said three clinical nurse experts (two from Great Ormond Street Hospital, one from Great Ormond Street Hospital). The report from St. John’s Hospital said. London Institute of Dermatology). "Type I Pisces products have biodegradability, so there is no need to remove them, which makes these products less threatening."

In fact, the results of small-scale trials using these biodegradable collagen treatments show that eight out of nine patients with severe EB, aged from six months to 41 years, show measurable improvement or healing.

"Case studies conducted by my department show that the Pisces collagen dressing is effective in treating adults and children with severe EB," said Jacqueline Denyer, one of the clinical nurse specialists on Great Ormond Street. The results showed that despite the best practices and care in dedicated EB centers, wounds that have existed for many years have healed. "The additional benefit is to reduce pain and bleeding and improve the quality of life," she added.

Pisces collagen may be the way forward. However, to obtain official approval for a new treatment course requires more than just scientific papers and anecdotal evidence-even if it has been used for 200 years.

At present, the fish glue issue is equivalent to an unresolved tray, which has been included in the NHS commissioned committee catalog to "determine the new and innovative thinking that may be possible to form a future work plan."

Despite the efforts of Roseanne Aitken, Managing Director of Medira, the use of Pisces collagen in the UK is still quite fragmented. She estimated that it would take 12 months to treat a non-healing amputation wound and the NHS would cost 16,000 pounds-while using her Helisorb pellets would take 10 weeks and 1,200 pounds, which contains Pisces collagen.

"In terms of saving money and improving patient care, the benefits to this country can be huge," she said. "But currently, my biggest customer is not Britain, but Greece."

You have 4 free articles this month

Enjoy Newsweek’s free newsletter with 5 million readers