Page 87 - The Miracle in the Spider

The Miracle of Silk 87

The Place of Spider Silk in Peoples' Lives
During research into the chemistry of spider silk, threads are drawn
from spiders by special machines. In this way it is possible to obtain 320
metres of silk a day from each animal (about 3 milligrams) without
harming it.
Medical science is another field where the threads produced in this
way are used, or rather where the spider is of service to mankind.
Pharmacologists at Wyoming University in the USA use the threads from
the Nephila spider as threads in some very sensitive operations, such as on
tendons and joints.