An Introduction to the Biology of the Skin

Modern dermatology surely needs a text comparable to Rothman's Physiology and Biochemistry of the Skin (1954) or Montagna's Structure and Function of Skin (1956 and 1962). The editors of An Introduction to the Biology of the Skin make no claim to fulfill this need but they nevertheless do an admirable job. The book is a compilation of lectures given at Cambridge University since 1963, and includes 17 contributors. There is considerable variation in the depth to which topics are considered; such as ten pages devoted to blood vessels of skin and almost four times that much to the connective tissue of the dermis. This presumably reflects each individual author's own research interest in the specific topics. In addition to each component of skin, consideration is given to the general effects of microorganisms on the skin, cells of the skin, inflammatory response, immunological reactions, regional variations and interaction between the dermis