d e n t for legal definitions of use, a n d qualify standard t e r m s for
The Williams Dictionary of c o n t e x t u a l use, a p r o b l e m increasingly e n c o u n t e r e d t h r o u g h
Biomaterials
h e field o f b i o m a t e r i a l s is i n h a b i t e d b y a u n i q u e assort-
T m e n t o f scientists, e n g i n e e r s , b u s i n e s s units, policy
makers, lawyers, clinicians, a n d regulators. Such a
diverse c o l l e c t i o n of p e o p l e u s i n g a c o m m o n v o c a b u l a r y b u t
f r o m v e r y different p e r s p e c t i v e s a n d usage r e q u i r e m e n t s
w o u l d b e s t b e s e r v e d b y a s t a n d a r d i z e d t e r m set. Perhaps,
w i t h t h e availability of a n u m b e r of e n c y c l o p e d i a s , r e f e r e n c e
h a n d b o o k s , a n d c o n s e n s u s d e f i n i t i o n s for biomaterials, o n e
m i g h t w o n d e r if t h e r e is i n d e e d r o o m for a n o t h e r n e w c o m e r
o n t h e s c e n e . T h e r e c e n t l y revised Glossary o f Biotechnology
Terms (2 nd Edition, 1 9 9 8 , T e c h n o m i c ) , w h i l e p e r i p h e r a l l y use-
ful, d o e s n o t directly service t h e b i o m a t e r i a l s a u d i e n c e .
D o r l a n d ' s Illustrated Medical Dictionary (WB S a u n d e r s ) is a
p r i m a r y r e s o u r c e of m e d i c a l s t u d e n t s b u t is n o t c o m p r e h e n -
sive e n o u g h to e m b r a c e t h e w i d e - r e a c h i n g b i o m a t e r i a l s disci-
pline. Szycher's Dictionary o f Biomaterials a n d Medical
Devices ( T e c h n o m i c , 1992) is a c o m p a r a b l e effort but, n o w
nearly e i g h t years old, d o e s n o t a d e q u a t e l y r e p r e s e n t m a n y
n e w a n d rapidly e v o l v i n g a s p e c t s of biomaterials. Arguably
t h e r e is n o c u r r e n t a n d c o m p l e t e d i c t i o n a r y t h a t defines bio-
materials t e r m s in c o n t e x t o r c u r r e n t use a n d a p p l i c a t i o n . T h e
a u t h o r of this n e w dictionary, David E Williams, a prolific
writer, r e c o g n i z e d a u t h o r i t y a n d s c h o l a r in biomaterials, a n d
p r o p o n e n t o f t e r m definition c o n s e n s u s , has p r o p o s e d sever-
al p u r p o s e s for this b i o m a t e r i a l s d i c t i o n a r y t h a t are u n i q u e to
this resource:
1) To collect a n d c o m p i l e a c o m p r e h e n s i v e , u p d a t e d list of
c u r r e n t t e r m i n o l o g y relevant to t h e entire biomaterials
field
2) To a c c o u n t for c r e a t i o n of n e w t e r m s a n d rapidly evolving
or n e w l y a d o p t e d c o n s t r u c t s
3) To p r o v i d e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s for t e r m use
4) To standardize a glossary for educational use, a n d
5) To a d v o c a t e a basis for " t r u t h in a d v e r t i s i n g " t h r o u g h
a c c u r a t e , s t a n d a r d u s e o f t e r m i n o l o g y r e l e v a n t to t h e
field
This n e w biomaterials-centered dictionary r e p r e s e n t s t h e m o s t
extensive collection of c u r r e n t biomaterials-related t e r m s a n d
t h e i r use to date, fulfilling t h e several p u r p o s e s i n t e n d e d b y t h e
author. By extensively sieving a n d g a t h e r i n g t e r m i n o l o g y from
b o t h c u r r e n t literature a n d p r e v i o u s sources, Professor Williams
has e n s u r e d c o m p l e t e n e s s a n d versatility for his w o r k that is
u n i q u e a n d m o r e valuable t h a n p r e v i o u s efforts. Williams has
also a p p r o p r i a t e l y r e f e r e n c e d sources for terms, i n t e n d i n g to
p r e f e r to a d a p t a n d use existing t e r m i n o l o g y w h e n e v e r possi-
ble. W i d e s p r e a d a d o p t i o n of this r e s o u r c e s h o u l d r e d u c e con-
fusion o r irritation resulting f r o m t e r m misuse, p r o v i d e a prece-
Materials Today
casual a d o p t i o n of n e w w o r d s o r ( m i s ) a p p l i c a t i o n of older
terms.
T h e n e e d for w i d e s p r e a d standardization of t e r m s w i t h i n t h e
evolving, e x p a n d i n g field of biomaterials c a n n o t b e understat-
ed. ISO definitions are n e i t h e r c o m p l e t e n o r consistent. T h e
n e w l y f o r m e d ASTM Division F04 Tissue-Engineered Medical
P r o d u c t s s u b c o m m i t t e e o n t e r m i n o l o g y (F04.40) c u r r e n t l y
e n d e a v o r s to assemble standard t e r m s for t h e e m e r g i n g field of
tissue e n g i n e e r i n g ( o n e t e r m n o t f o u n d in o t h e r o l d e r diction-
aries), a n d w o u l d do well to base t h e i r definitions o n Williams'
efforts. Significantly, Williams a p p e a r s to have m a d e d e d i c a t e d
efforts to a d a p t a n d use m u c h of t h e existing t e r m i n o l o g y b y
qualifying standard t e r m s for context. Interestingly, t h e t e r m
"biocompatible", p e r h a p s t h e m o s t mis-used w o r d in t h e field,
has only a c o n t e x t u a l definition, a result of t h e 1987 E u r o p e a n
Society for Biomaterials C o n s e n s u s C o n f e r e n c e o n Definitions
in Biomaterials organized in p a r t b y D.EWilliams.
Since this initial f o r m a l i z e d effort s e e k i n g to d e f i n e a n d stan-
dardize b i o m a t e r i a l s t e r m i n o l o g y finally a p p r o v e d d e f i n i t i o n s
for nearly a dozen terms, over a decade has passed.
C o n c o m m i t a n t l y , t h e field o f b i o m a t e r i a l s h a s r a d i c a l l y
expanded, and embraced many new technologies, peripheral
fields, a n d h a s d e v e l o p e d n e w areas (e.g., tissue e n g i n e e r i n g ) .
Substantial c h a n g e s a n d i n c r e a s i n g i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y a s p e c t s
o f t h e field i n v o l v i n g m e d i c i n e , s c i e n c e a n d e n g i n e e r i n g , p u b -
lic policy, law, r e g u l a t o r y issues, a n d p u b l i c scrutiny, r e q u i r e
s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n o f c o m m o n t e r m s . Steady i n c r e a s e s in clinical
b i o m a t e r i a l s u s e a n d a p p l i c a t i o n s m e a n t h a t a significant
f r a c t i o n o f a n y p o p u l a t i o n are n o w involved, p r o f e s s i o n a l l y o r
personally, w i t h t h e field. P r o v i d i n g a r e c o g n i z e d c o m m o n
d e n o m i n a t o r for c o m m u n i c a t i o n , t h e r e f o r e , b e c o m e s essen-
tial for all involved. D.EWilliams' effort in c o m p i l i n g this n e w
d i c t i o n a r y is significant a n d v a l u a b l e in fulfilling this i m p o r -
t a n t n e e d a n d c u r r e n t v o i d for t h e b i o m a t e r i a l field. As this
field rapidly evolves, t e r m i n o l o g y will co-evolve, m e a n i n g
n e c e s s a r i l y t h a t d e f i n i t i o n s a d a p t e d o r a d o p t e d f r o m this dic-
t i o n a r y c o u l d b e c o m e a set o f " l i v i n g " s t a n d a r d s r e q u i r e d cur-
r e n t l y as well as a basis for f u t u r e u p d a t i n g a n d a p p r o p r i a t e
m o d i f i c a t i o n in t h e c o n t e x t o f n e w s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y .
Williams' n e w d i c t i o n a r y d i s t i n g u i s h e s itself f r o m o t h e r simi-
lar p r e v i o u s efforts b y i n c l u d i n g n e w t e r m s w i t h o l d e r
a c c e p t e d t e r m s , w i t h full r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e i r h i s t o r y a n d cri-
t e r i a for a c c e p t e d , a p p r o p r i a t e use. Many of us i n v o l v e d w i t h
biomedical engineering, materials science, biotechnology,
m e d i c a l e d u c a t i o n or p r a c t i c e will b e n e f i t f r o m this n e w
resource.
D.W. Grainger
Colorado State University
Professor David Williams is editor o f the j o u r n a l Biomaterials,
the leading j o u r n a l in this field according to the latest
Journal Citation Reports produced by ISL Further informa-
tion on this and other related publications can be f o u n d at
w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m or www.elsevier.nl.
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