Silicones' high temperature stabiity suggested they might be easily sterilized should the physicians wish to use them during surgery, or even implant them in the body. Medical success came quickly. What was critically important was that, in the more than 4,000 shunts implanted, the silicone worked well. Surgeons had a look at a couple of implants after they had been in the body for a long time. The silicone materials caused no reaction in the tissue surrounding the implant.
Scientists note facts like that.
Silicone rubber's stability in the human body suggested that the other forms of silicone products, particularly the rubbers, resins and fluids, might be useful as medical devices that could be implanted. Dow Corning offered silicone materials to two plastic surgeons, Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow of the University of Texas who developed a silicone breast implant in about 1960. Their implant was developed for use by women who had had breasts removed in the surgery called mastectomy. The new silicone implants replaced sponges that had been used previously. The spongy implants hardened and looked and felt less natural after a period of time.