Circulatory system, skin

The disease takes two different forms depending apparently on whether ergotoxia, the alkaloid ia ergot, attacks predomiaantiy the aervous or the circulatory system. The former coaditioa is characterized by severe coavulsive seizures the latter produces an iatense burning and itching of the skin called St. Anthony s Fire. 

Strong acids and strong alkaUes can severely bum the skin, chromium compounds can produce skin rashes, and repeated exposure to solvents causes removal of natural oils from the skin. Infection is always a concern for damaged skin. Absorption through the skin is possible for materials that are appreciably soluble iu both water and oil, eg, nitrobenzene, aniline, and tetraethyllead. Other materials can be absorbed if first dissolved iu extremely good solvents, eg, dimethyl sulfoxide. Subcutaneous iujection can occur accidentally by direct exposure of the circulatory system to a chemical by means of a cut or scratch or iuadvertent penetration of the skin with a hypodermic needle. 

The filariform larva found in moist soils may be either ingested or penetrate the skin of its host. It is then carried through the circulatory system to the lungs and migrates up the respiratory tree into the digestive tract. The worms feed on intestinal tissue and blood. Some worms may persist in humans as long as nine years. Infestations cause cutaneous reactions, pulmonary lesions, intestinal ulcerations, and anemia. 

Arsenic none 0.05 Skin damage circulatory system problems increased risk of cancer ceramics electronics solder Erosion of natural deposits runoff from glass electronics production wastes... 

The skin s mechanism of heat conservation involves its very complex circulatory system [2,3]. To conserve heat, blood is diverted away from the skin s periphery by way of the arteriovenous anastomoses. The ex-ternalmost circulation of the blood is effectively shut down, leading to a characteristic blanching of the skin in fair-skinned individuals. Less heat is irradiated and convectively passed into the atmosphere. Furry mammals have yet another mechanism to conserve body heat. Each tiny arrector pilorum stands its hair up straight, adding appreciable thickness to the insulating air layer entrapped in the fur, reducing heat loss. 

If no heat was distributed, then our faces and those parts closest to the fire would quickly become unbearably hot, while the remainder of our flesh would continue to feel cold. Heat conducts through the body principally by the fire warming the blood on the surface of the skin, which is then pumped to other parts of the body through the circulatory system. The energy in the warmed blood is distributed within cooler, internal tissues. 

Subcutaneous tissue Circulatory system Clitoral gland Skin... 

Except with high concentrations of H, the initial vesicating reaction may take hours, so that more of the agent is absorbed before its presence is recognized. Cullumbine, describing the action of an experimental droplet on human skin, said, "The first macroscopic sign of the action of mustard gas appears under temperate climatic conditions about two hours later" (after application). Penetration of the skin is rapid, but only about 12X remains in the skin, the rest moving into the circulatory system. 

Structurally, the skin consists of the outermost epidermis which is essentially composed of dead squamous cells sloughed off from the underlying dermis (Figure 7.1). The dermis lies on top of subdermal layers, which further down gives access to nerve endings and capillaries of the circulatory system. 

Figure 6.3 illustrates the absorption of a toxic substance through the skin and its entry into the circulatory system, where it may be distributed through the body. Often the skin suffers little or no harm at the site of entry of systemic poisons, which may act with devastating effects on receptors far from the location of absorption. 

Oral doses of naphthols can be fatal. Acute poisoning by these compounds can cause severe gastrointestinal disturbances, kidney malfunction, circulatory system failure, and convulsions. Naphthols can be absorbed through the skin, one effect of which can be eye damage involving the cornea and lens. 

FIGURE 2.37 Thoracic duct and other vessels of the thorax. Lymphatic capillaries are most numerous just beneath body surfaces, such as the skin and the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. The mucus membrane of the gastrointestinal tract is called the gut mucosa. The general function of these capillaries is to absorb interstitial fluid that has leaked from the circulatory system and to return it to the bloodstream. The function of the l)miphatic capillaries that end in the lacteals of the small intestine is to transport absorbed dietary lipids. These capillaries coalesce and eventually deliver their contents to the thoracic duct. The lymph collected from other parts of the body, as indicated by the "collecting trunk," also is transferred to the thoracic duct. [Redrawn with permission, from "Grant s Atlas of Anatomy," Williams Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1978.]... 

---