The nature of the substances released from the skin following burning is not known. The majority of the studies concerned with this problem have involved analyses of blood or the lymph draining the burned part, and have been complicated by the complex composition of the blood and lymph and the complex interrelation between different tissues. The present studies represent an attempt to simplify the problem by employing excised skin and collecting the materials diffusing into a saline solution following exposure to hot water.
METHODS
Preparation of diffusatesMongrel dogs were anesthetized with Nembutalg (30 mg. per kilo) and the skin of their backs was clipped with an Oster No. 40 hair clipper. By the use of an electrically driven dermatome 2 set at .015 inch, split thicknesses of skin 3 3 in. wide and up to 12 in. long were obtained. The slices were placed immediately on salinesoaked gauze, cut up into 3-cm. squares, and secured with the cut surface inward about one end of glass cylinders, 2.4 cm. in diameter (Figure 1). The cut surface was in continuity with the inside of the cylinder. Before the burning, the cut surface was washed three times with 5 to 10 ml. of saline, and after the final washing, 2 ml. of saline were allowed to remain inside of the cylinder. Burning was done in hot water contained in a tray which held a U-shaped metal rack that supported the tubes in such a manner that only the skin was submerged in water ( Figure 2
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