Experimental Study on the Skin Function observed throughthe Tissue Respiration

Abstract

The effects of rabbits' sera tsken after a certain duration of stimulations given to a certain area of a rabbit's skin by warmingup and by artificial day light in different intensities, weak and intense, ugon the tissue respiration of an albino rat's liver were investigated. Besides, in order to clarify the mechanism through which the serum obtained after the skin irritation shows some effect upon the liver tissue respiration, especially, that of the mode of action of the serum taken after a stimulation in moderate intensity which promotes the tissue respiration, some experiments were carried out. The results obtained are summarized as follows:1) In the Ringer's solution contining rabbits' sera the oxpgen consumption (Qo2) of an albino rat's liver was estimated. Regardless to the kind of stimulation, whether by warmingup or by artificial day light, Qo2 is idcreased in the serum when the weaker intensity (moderate) of stimulation is applied to the skin, while it is decreased in the serum when the skin is stimulaten excessively, as compared with Qo2 in the serum before stimulation.2) In the use of the sera taken of ter stimulations, weak and intense, on a certain stripped area of the skin of a rabbit, Qo2 of an albino rat's liver is both decreased. For those facts stated above it is found that the serum obtained after the weaker (moderate) intensity of irritation given on the skin is the only one that promotes the tissue respiration.3) The action of the rabbit's sera taken 24 hours after thyroidectomy on the tissue respiration of an albino rat's liver does scarcely differ from that of the sera before thyroidectomy, namely, the sera of a normal rabbit.4) When the weaker (moderate) istensity of irritation is applied to a rabbit's skin 24 hours after thyroidectomy, the sere obtained never effect the promotion of the tissue respiration on an albino rat's liver, unlike the sera obtained from the normal rabbit which received the skin irritation. When the intense stimulation, however, is applied to the skin, the sera cause the inhibited tissue respiration to an albino rat's liver in a thyroidectomized rabbit, as well as in a normal rabbit. It is thus concluded that, in the mechanism through which the sera obtained after the weaker (moderate) irritation given to the skin cause the promotion of the tissue respiration, the cooperation of thyroid gland is indispensable.As shown in many descriptions that have already been published from our laboratory, it is evident that by stimulating the skin weakly (moderately), regardless to the kind of stimulation, the function of the skin is so accentuated that the skin produces a certain kind of active substance, -we call it the skin hormone- which, carried humorally, effects the promotion