THE SKIN 163 



The dennis, true skin (cutis vera), or corium consists of fibres 

 of connective and elastic tissues, interwoven with minute blood- 

 vessels and nerve fibres. Its surface is drawn up into finger-like 

 projections called papillae, the largest of which are about T ^ of an 

 inch in length. The outer portion is extremely well supplied with 

 blood-vessels. Every papilla has its loop of capillaries. 



The deeper portion of the dermis is looser in texture, and 

 contains an amount of fatty tissue. Beneath this again is a loose 



h--m 



d 



f- 



Fig. 151. Vertical Section of the Skin and the Sub-cutaneous 

 Tissue. Magnified 20 diameters. 



a, horny layer of epidermis ; b, Malpighian \a\ er of epidermis ; 

 c, corium ; e, papillae ; f, fat clusters ; g, sweat glands ; h, sweat 

 ducts ; ", pores. 



cellular tissue the sub-cutaneous tissue which contains a large 

 proportion of fat. The use of this latter tissue is to fill up all 

 the irregularities of surface in the underlying parts, and to give the 

 rounded form and plumpness to the surface of the body. The 

 fatty tissue also, being a bad conductor of heat, serves to keep 

 the body warm by preventing the outward passage of heat. 



The sensibility of the skin as the organ of touch is due to the 

 distribution of nerve fibres which terminate in the papillae of *he 



M 2 



