SECTION IV. PEAU ET GLANDES CUTANEES 



THE HISTOCHEMISTRY OF SKIN 

 AND CUTANEOUS GLANDS 



W. MONTAGNA and R. A. ELLIS 



Arnold Biological Laboratory, Brown University, Providence, 



Rhode Island 



Skin being an active, heterogeneous, and complex organ system is an 

 idéal tissue for the application of many histochemical studies, Since 

 it is not possible within the limits of this paper to cover adequately ail 

 of the histochemical attributes of skin, the authors confine themselves 

 to a report of the distribution of sorae of the enzymes. The authors will 

 discuss the disrib^tion of succinic dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, 

 monoamine oxidase, /3-glucuronidase, phosphorylases, phosphatases, 

 esterases, aminopeptidase, etc. in the skin of man. They will compare 

 the results obtained in the skin of man with those they bave obtained in 

 the skin of other mammals, and particularly in the skin of other primates. 

 There exist enormous species différences in the reactivity of skin to the 

 varions techniques used, and histochemical methods e^e becoming impor- 

 tant tools in the study of phylogeny and anthropology as well as anatomy 

 and physiology, To illustrate the systematic application of histochemistry 

 to a single organ system and its usefulness in the study of anthropology, 

 the authors présent a study of the eccrine and apocrine sweat glands in 

 man and in other mammals. From thèse studies émerges a trend which 

 seems to trace the possible evolutionary pathways of the types of sweat 

 glands in man. 



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