IntegumentarySystem

Theintegumentaryisoneofthe11bodysystems.Theintegumentarysystemisthe
largestorganofthebodyanditiscomposedofmanylayersatonly10millimetersthick.The
integumentarysystemconsistsoftheskin,hair,nails,andtheglands.Onaverageahumans
skinweighsabout10poundsanditcoversabout20feet.Theskinisusedtoprotectthebody
andtopreservemoisture,andtoretainvitamins.Theskinismadeupofthethedermis,the
epidermis,andthehypodermis.Theepidermisismadeupofcellscalledkeratinocytesandit
hasyourtouchreceptorsandyourSudoriferousglandsalsoknownasthesweatglands.The
dermisisthelayerthatcomesafterthedermisanditismadeupofconnectivetissue,nervous
tissue,blood,andbloodvessels.Theepidermisiswhatgivestheskinitsstrengthand
elasticity.Thehypodermisisthelayerthatcomesafterthedermisanditisaflexible
connectionbetweenthebonesandtheunderlyingmusclesandbonesanditalsoassistswith
storingfatandinsulatingthebody.

Figure2.1aboveisacroppedshotofmyrightthumbprintandinthisphotoyoucanseethe
indentsandtheshapeofmythumb.
Figure2.2aboveisacroppedshotofamolethatIhaveonmyrightindexfinger.
Figure2.3isacroppedshotofmylipprintsthatweretakenusingredlipstick.Inthispicture
youcanseetheformofmylipsandthelinesthatareonthemaswell.

Acutaneoussensoryreceptorisatypeofsensoryreceptorthatislocatedinthe
dermisortheepidermislayersoftheskin.Sensoryreceptorsintheskinprovideinformation
tothebrainaboutthesizeandshapeofobjectsheldinthehand.(JohnsonandHsiao1992)
Touchisdefinedasdirectcontactbetweentwophysicalbodies.Itrespondstothestimulusin
theinternalandexternalenvironmentofanorganism.Receptorsmeasuresuchthingssuch
astemperatureandpain.Thereareninetypeofreceptorsintheskin.Thereceptorsthattell
toucharemerkel,ruffins,hairfolliclereceptors,andfreeendnerveendingsalsomerkeldisk.


Figure4.1abovefeaturestheresultsofmylabonthedistancebetweenthetouch
receptorsondifferentareasofmybody.Thegraphfeaturesthetopthreesmallestandthetop
threelargestreceptors.

Figure4.2aboveisapictureofmyhomunculusdrawing.Thepictureisbasedoffofsomeof
thedatafeaturedinfigure4.1.Mydrawingfeaturesabighead,hands,lips,andfeetjustto
nameafew.Ithenhaveasmallnose,legs,andneck.Thedrawingislikethisbecausethe
closerthereceptorsthelargerthebodypartandthefartherthereceptorthesmallerthebody
partwillbe.

Duringtheearly1500sandthelate1600sSantorioSanctoriusquantifiedthechanges
inbodymassduetoperspiration.Sweatinghelpstokeepthebodycool.Humanskin
containsglandsthatsecretewateryfluidsdirectlyontotheskinsurface.(Bierman)Human
skinisapproximatelymaintainedat91degreesFahrenheit.Manyofthechemicalreactions
andcellularprocessesnecessarytosustainhumanlifeoccurmostreadilyatabody
temperatureofapproximately98.6degreesFahrenheit.Nervousness,thermalheat,and

exercisecancausethesweatglandstobecomeactive.Thedermaltissuesinfluencebody
temperaturebyeitherallowingordivertingthebloodsaccesstothesurfaceoftheskin.When
anareaisexposedtocoldthearteriolesconstrictallowinglessthannormalbloodflowandit
protectsthecoretemperature.However,whenthecoldisremoved,thebloodsupplytothe
skinincreasesandthearteriolesdilate.Exposuretoheatcausesbloodvesselstodilate
allowingheattodissipatefromtheskinssurface,andresultinginaflushedorred
appearance.Regionsoftheskinwithhighervascularitywillreturnquicklytothesetpointafter
adisturbancethanregionswithlessvascularity.Inacomfortableenvironment,the
temperatureoftheskinsurfacevariesindifferentregionsofthebody.(Bierman)

Figure6.1aboveisacroppedversionofthegraphovermyindividualdataandmyclasses
averageofthesweatglanddensityinfourbodyareas.ItshowsthatIhadmoresweatglands
inthemedialareaofmymanualandIhadthenosweatglandsonmyrightforearm.

Figure6.2above(left)isthegraphofthedatathatIrecordedaftertakingmybaseline
temperatureandthencomparingittothetemperatureofmyskinafterexercising.
Figure6.3above(right)isthegraphofthedatathatIrecordedaftertakingmybaseline
temperatureandthencomparingittothetemperatureofmyskinaftericing.


Ihavelearnedplentyofthingsaboutthestructureandthefunctionsoftheintegumentary
system,theskintobeexactthroughthesethreelabsthatwehavecompleted.Ihaveretained
informationaboutthingsthatIneverknewexisteduntilIexperimentedwiththem.Inowknow
thatthetiniertheregionsofthebodysuchasthedigitsandthedigitalshadacloserrangeof
touchreceptorsthanthelargerregionsofmybody.Ihavealsolearnedthatmymedial
manualshavehighernumbersofsweatglandsthanmyforearms.Ihavecometofindoutthat
ittakeslongertoreturntothebaselinetemperatureafteryouiceorexercise.

SOURCES:
1.
Johansson,R.S.,&Vallbo,.B.(1979).Tactilesensibilityinthehumanhand:relativeandabsolute
densitiesoffourtypesofmechanoreceptiveunitsinglabrousskin.TheJournalofphysiology,
286(1),283300.
2.
Gardner,E.P.(2010).Touch.eLS.
3.
Bierman,W.(1936).Thetemperatureoftheskinsurface.JournaloftheAmericanMedical
Association,106(14),11581162.
4.
Taylor,N.A.,&MachadoMoreira,C.A.(2013).Regionalvariationsintransepidermalwaterloss,
eccrinesweatglanddensity,sweatsecretionratesandelectrolytecompositioninrestingand
exercisinghumans.ExtremePhysiology&Medicine,2(1),130.
5.
Taylor,Tim.(1999)Fulldescriptionoftheintegumentarysystem.