the silkworm pupa. The silk is obtained by brushing the undamaged cocoon to find the outside end of the filament. The silk filaments are then wound on a reel. One cocoon contains approximately of silk filament. The silk at this stage is known as raw silk. One thread comprises up to 48 individual silk filaments. Mahatma Gandhi was critical of silk production based on the Ahimsa philosophy "not to hurt any living thing". He also promoted "Ahimsa silk", made without boiling the pupa to procure the silk and wild silk made from the cocoons of wild and semiwild silkmoths. The Human League also criticised sericulture in their early single "Being Boiled". The organisation PETA has also campaigned against silk. Pupae as food The conventional method of silk production results in ~8 kg of wet silkworm pupae and ~2 kg of dry pupae per kilogram of raw silk. This byproduct has historically been consumed by people in silk-producing areas. Gallery See also Macclesfield silk museums Silk mill of Caraglio and Museum Magnanery Silk industry in Azerbaijan Silk industry in China References External links Smithsonian sericulture history Silk Production Process Silk worm Life cycle photos Agriculture in Asia Agriculture in China Agriculture in Europe Agriculture in India Chinese inventions History of agriculture Insects in culture Silk Silk production Silk Road Animal keeping by humans