THE SKIN – THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN
Not everyone is aware of the fact that the skin is an organ just as vital as the kidneys, stomach and intestines, and even as essential as the liver. A person would die in a few hours without the function of his skin, and that is much quicker than if his stomach and intestines were to be taken out. One third of the blood in the human body is to be found in the capillary vessels in the skin. In an adult the skin covers an area of approximately 2 square metres (21 square feet), and it is therefore one of the largest organs of the body. One square centimetre (0.155 square inch) contains about three million cells and a number of tiny structures whose functions are essential to good health. We do not feel the cold as acutely as heat and therefore feel less pain when exposed to severe cold than to extreme heat. This is because every square centimetre of our skin contains two or three structures that register cold sensations and about six times as many that register heat. Depending on the area of the body, there are about 10-20 hairs to every square centimetre, also 12-15 sebaceous glands and 90-120 sweat glands, in accordance with the texture of the skin, whether it has fine or large pores. If all the fine capillaries were to be connected together, they would extend to about 1 km (s/e mile), and the even finer nerves would be four times as long.
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