Lauren Willey

INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
LAB REPORT
Lauren Willey

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

Theintegumentarysystemisthelargestorganin
thebody.Itservesasourarmourforprotection
againsttheexternalenvironment.Ourskinis
composedofthreemainlayersthehypodermis,
dermis,andtheepidermis.
Thehypodermis,inthecutaneousregion,isthe
deepestlayer.Thencomesthedermis,adense
andirregularconnectivetissue.Thepapillary
andreticularregionsarelocatedinthedermis.
Thereticularregionismadeupofelasticandcollagenfiberswhichmakeourskinflexible.
Locatedinthedermisarehairfollicles,capillarybeds,andsudoriferousglands,otherwiseknown
asoursweatglands.Therearetwotypesofsweatglandsfoundthroughoutourbodies:eccrine
andapocrine.Attachedtothosefolliclesarearrectorpiliandsebaceousglands.Arrectorpiliare
smallsmoothmusclesthatwhencontractcausewhatwecallgoosebumps.Thesebaceousglands
arewhatsecretesebumwhichlubricateskinandhair.Meissnerscorpusclesandpacinian
corpusclesfoundinthedermisareresponsibleforoursensesoftouchandpressure.Connecting
thedermisandepidermislikeaglueisthebasementmembrane.Justabovethatistheepidermis
madeupofstratifiedsquamousepithelium.Theepidermisisavascular,highlymitosis,andafree
surface.Thefirstlayeroftheepidermisisthestratumbasalewhichiscomposedoffourdifferent
typeofcells.Langerhanswhichassistourbodiesimmunity.Merklecellswhichisforoursense
oftouch.Melanocytesforourskinspigment.Kerotinocyteswhichmakeup90%ofthestratum
basaleandarewaterproofingproteins.Thenextfourlayersoftheepidermisincludethestratum
spinosum,stratumgranulosum,stratumlucidium,andthesuperficiallayerofthestratum
corneumwhicharethedeadcells.

THERMOREGULATION
Sweatglandswerediscoveredin1833bytheCzechphysiologistJohannesPirkinje.Weperspire
tocoolourbodiesdownthroughevaporatedcoolingfromexhaledmoisture.Weexperience
waterlossthroughtransepidermalwatervapordiffusionandsecretionfromtheeccrinesweat
glands.Sweatglanddensitiesvarywidelyacrosstheskinsurfacewithanapproximatetotalof
2.03millionfunctionalglands.Plantsandanimalslosewaterpassivelythroughsemipermeable
membranes,evenundercoolconditions.
Inastudydonetoobservetemperaturerecovery,itwasfoundthatareaswithhigherdensityof
sweatglandsrecoveredquickerthanthoselessdense
withsweatglands.Twoareaswereassessed,thepalm
ofthehandandtheforehead.Twominutesafter
applyingicetoeachareaforthirtyseconds,the
foreheadreturnedbacktonormaltemperaturewhile
thepalmdidnot.

Sweatglanddensitieswerefoundbyplacingadropof
Iodineonthedesiredareaofthebody.Afterithasdried,a1cmby1cmpeiceofbondpaperis
placedonthisspot.Dependingonhowmanysweatglandsthereare,afterafewminutesthere
willbedotsfoundonthebondpaper.Thesedotsaresweatglands.Thesweatglanddensities
werefoundforfourdifferentareas:Palmofhand,finger(middlephalanx,forehead,andfoot
(ventral,bottom).Comparedtoaveragedensities,theresultsfoundwereallbelowaverage.In
conclusion,theseareasmayproducelesssweatthannormalduetothelimitedamountofsweat
glands.

SENSORY FUNCTIONS
Thesenseoftouchallowslivingorganismstoidentify
objectsandchoosewhatactionswetakenext.Ourskinis
elasticenablingustodetermineanobjectssize,shape,and
textureeveninthedark.Fourclassesofmechanoreceptors
receptorsintheskinsendinformationtothebrainaboutthe
forceandspeedofmotionwhencontactwithotherobjectsor
organismsismade.Mechanoreceptorsdetectthemechanical
energyappliedtotheskin.Moremessagesfromthousandsof
nervefibersaresentbyneuronsinthecerebralcortex.The
principletouchreceptorsfoundintheglabrous,orhairlessskin,
ofthelips,palm,fingers,andsoleofthefootareMeissner
corpuscleandtheMerklecellneuritecomplex.
Inatwopointdiscriminationtest,theareasfoundtohave
theleastamountofreceptorswerethescalp,backofneck,
upperback,andupperarm.Intheseregions,thereweregreateramountsofspacebetweeneach
touchreceptor.Areaswheretherewerelargeamountsofreceptorsincludethetipoftheindex
finger,bigtoe,andthefifthtoe.Thesepointsshowedtohavelessdistancebetweeneach
receptor.Inconclusion,itwasfoundthatglabrousskinhadahighdensityoftouchreceptors
whilethosehairyskinareashadlimitedamounts.

WORKS CITED
1

34

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