LoganBoyettIntegumentarySystemLabReport

Page1GeneralStructure&Function
GeneralInformation

Humanskincontainsglandsthatsecretewateryfluidsdirectlyontotheskin
surface:Apocrineglands,eccrinesweatglandsandtheapoeccrineglands.Thefocusofthis
paragraph,istheeccrinesweatglands,withaemphasisuponthesweatingthatsubserves
temperatureregulationwhilerestingandduringexercise.Themovementofwaterthroughthe
skininbothitsliquid(sweating)andgaslikephases(transperdimedialwaterloss),areincluded.
Skinisprobablythemostimportantpart(organ)ofourbody,duetothefactthatitdoessomuch,
suchasgoingthroughdifferentclimates,anddifferentprocessesatthesametimelike
thermoregulation,homeostasis,illnesses,viruses,etc.
GeneralHistory

In1614,theItalianphysiologistSantorioSanctoriusdiscoveredchangesin
bodymassbecauseofthesweating,whichoccursbyosmoticdiffusionthroughtheepidermis.
However,dependentandindependentfluidlossescanoccurthroughtheactivationofsweat
glandswhenexposedtoheat,candexercisestresses.Thefirstdiscoveryoftheeccrinesweat
poresisoftenattributedtotheItalianphysiologistMarcelloMalpighi,althoughEmpedocleswas
forsureawareandalertoftheirexistencesome2,000yearsearlier,andtheEnglishmicroscopist
NehemiahGrewdescribedtheepidermalridgesandsweatporesofthehandsandfeetin1684.
Indeed,hisworkalsoshowsanawarenessofthedifferencesinsweatleavingthebodyfromthe
hairlessandhairysurfacesoftheseappendages,andtheDutchmicrobiologistAntonievan
Leeuwenhoekalsowroteaboutsweatingandthesweatporesofthehands.However,the
completecontrolandorderofsweatglandsfromthesesweatysurfaceshas,untilrecently,
remainedunresolved.Thesweatglandsthemselveswerediscoveredin1833bytheCzech
physiologistJohannesPurkinj,withtheirdescriptionprovidedbyWendt,oneofhisstudents.
Withinadecade,theGermananatomistKarlKrausemadethefirstrecordeddiscoveryof
regionalsweatglanddensities.Then,theFrenchhistologistLouisAntoineRanviergroupedthe
secretoryglandsoftheskinintotwoclassesonthebasisoftheirmodeofsecretion:theholocrine
glands(sebaceousandmeibomianglands)andthemerocrineglands(sweatglands).About25
yearslater,themerocrineclassificationwasdividedintoapocrineandeccrinesweatglands,with
Satoetal.finallyaddingathirdclass,theapoeccrineglands.

Homeostasisreferstothebodysabilitytomaintaininternalconditions,(Temperature,pH,
hydration),withinthelimitsthatarenecessaryforthecontinuationofmetabolicprocesses.
Whentheseconditionsaredisturbedbyachangeintheenvironment,bodysystemsworkto
returnthemtonormal.

Thisgraphrepresentstheinternaltemp.ofmyhand&forearm,withouticefor30seconds,&
thenwithicenextfor30seconds,&thentherecoverytimeittookforyourbodyregiontoreturn
tonormaltemp.

Thisgraphrepresentsthenumberofsweatglandsincertainbodilyregions.Myhypothesiswas
thatmyhandwouldhavethemostsweatglandsoutofallthebodyregionsIchoseto
experiment,andIwascorrect.

Touchiswhenanobjectorsomethingembracesourskin,andwhenwefeelthatsomething,itis
ourreceptorsfeelingthatsomething.

AccordingtotheHomunculus,myheadissomewhatsensitive,mytorsoissomewhatsensitive,
myarmsarehighlysensitive,myhandsarehighlysensitive,mylegsarehighlysensitive,and
myfeetarehighlysensitive.

Thisgraphrepresentsthedistance(mm),thatincertainbodyregions,myreceptorsfeltonepoint.
Thefrontofmyneck,upperandbackofhand,weremylowest,whilemyscalp,shoulder,and
upperbackwerethehighest.

Citations:
1. Taylor,N.A.,&MachadoMoreira,C.A.(2013).Regionalvariationsintransepidermalwaterloss,

eccrinesweatglanddensity,sweatsecretionratesandelectrolytecompositioninrestingand
exercisinghumans.
ExtremePhysiology&Medicine,

2
,4.
http://doi.org/10.1186/2046764824