No doubt you've heard of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). Well, I hadn't! I feel no shame in admitting that I always thought FASEB stood for False Assumptions Strengthen Every Bias. Oh well...

It seems the FASEB has recently published findings by scientists in the Netherlands which identify a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. We may now start seeing mass produced compounds containing human saliva sitting on the store shelf next to antibiotic creams.

"This study not only answers the biological question of why animals lick their wounds," says Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, "it also explains why wounds in the mouth, like those of a tooth extraction, heal much faster than comparable wounds of the skin and bone. It also directs us to begin looking at saliva as a source for new drugs."

I guess this means that, next time you get a scrape on your arm, lick it. It's a lot cheaper than Neosporin.

...or not.

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