EXERCISE 6

THE INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

The integumentary system is composed of body membranes and skins. Body membranes is composed of
cutaneous membrane which is the skin, mucus membrane that lines the open cavities of hollow organs and lastly
serous membrane which is in pairs; visceral and parietal layer. The skin is considered to be the largest organ of
the body and it has its functions as well. They have roles like regulating body temperature, protecting the body
from microbes and sensations of touching etc. It is a soft and flexible tissue in the outer part of the body that
covers the body. There are two layers of the skin which are the epidermis and dermis. The epidermis is the outer
layer of the skin and creates our skin tone, provides barriers from infection etc. It is composed of stratum basale,
stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum and stratum corneum. The dermis is between the
epidermis and hypodermis and consists of dense irregular connective tissue and two layers. The two layers are
papillary and reticular dermis. The function of the dermis is to connect the entire body together. Hypodermis is
under the dermis which is composed of adipose tissues but it is not part of the skin. The melanin pigments
iresponsible for the skins color that is produced from the special cells called melanocytes. In this exercise, we will
learn more about the integumentary system.

ACTIVITY 1: LOCATING STRUCTURES ON A SKIN MODEL

OBJECTIVE:

After performing this activity, you should be able;

 to identify the different parts of the integumentary system

 to know and understand its functions

MATERIALS:

Integumentary skin model

Anatomy and Physiology Book/Internet

PROCEDURE:

1. Prepare the integumentary skin model

2. Identify the parts of the integumentary skin model by comparing the parts of the skin in your
references.
3. Know the definitions of each part and label.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

SKIN MODEL
 Skin Model

Parts of the skin Definition

Epidermis - outer layer of the skin
- stratified squamous epithelium tissue
- avascular
Stratum basale - deepest cell layer
- only part of epidermis that has blood vessels
- site of cell division
Stratum spinosum - move away from the dermis
- part of the superficial layer
Stratum granulosum - increasingly full of keratin
- they die and formed stratum lucidum
Stratum lucidum - not present in all skin region
- only occurs when skin is hairless and extra
thick, palms and sole of feet
Stratum corneum - outermost layer
- shingle-like dead cells filled with keratin
Dermis - made up of dense connective tissue
- vascular
- binds the body together
Papillary Layer - upper dermal region
- projections from superior surface called
dermal papillae
Reticular Layer - deepest skin layer
 - contains irregular connective tissue, blood
vessels, glands, nerve receptors and deep
pressure receptors
Sebaceous gland - found all over the skin except on the palms
and sole feet
- produced sebum
Sweat glands - there are two types of sweat glands: Eccrine
and Apocrine glands
Hair shaft - projecting from the surface of the scalp of the
skin
Hair follicle - composed of epidermal sheath and dermal
sheath
Hair root - part of the hair enclosed in the follicle
Arrector pili - connect side of the hair of the hair follicle to
the dermal sheath
- responsible for the feeling “goose bumps”
Hypodermis - not part of the skin
- composed of adipose tissue
Meissner’s corpuscle - responsible for sensitivity of light

ACTIVITY 2: TESTING TILE LOCALIZATION

OBJECTIVE:

After performing this activity, you should be able;

 to know the sensitivity of different parts of the body

 to determine which portion of the skin has been touched and;
 to identify which part of the body has a low and high sensitivity

MATERIALS:

Ball pens with different colors

Ruler

PROCEDURE:

1. The subject’s eyes should be closed during the testing. The experimenter touches the palm of the subject’s
hand with a colored pen and the subject will try to touch the exact point with a different color pen. The
location error should be measured. Repeat the procedure in the same spot twice more and record the
result. Take the average of the three results.
2. Repeat the procedure 1 on the fingertips, ventral forearm, back of hand and back of neck.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

TESTING TACTILE LOCATION

Body area tested 1st Trial 2nd Trial 3rd Trial Average error of
Localization
Palm of hand 6 mm 10 mm 5 mm 7 mm
Fingertip 4 mm 4 mm 3 mm 3.67 mm
Ventral forearm 11 mm 15 mm 26 mm 17.33 mm
Back of hand 28 mm 18 mm 8 mm 18 mm
Back of neck 15 mm 4 mm 3 mm 7.33 mm

In the subject’s results, in the palm of the hand, it doesn’t improve the stimulus in the second trial but
improves in the third trial. The average error of localization is 7 mm. In the fingertip, it doesn’t change in the
second trial and it improves in the third trial. The average error of localization is 3.65 mm. In the ventral
forearm, the results shows no improvements of the localization. The average error of localization is 17.33
mm. In the back of the hand and neck, it shows that the localization improves in the second trial and third
trial. The average error of localization is 7.33 mm. The fingertip has the smallest error of localization which
means that it is the most sensitive to touch.

ACTIVITY 3: PLOTTING THE DISTRIBUTION OF SWEAT GLANDS

OBJECTIVE:

After performing this activity, you should be able;

 to identify which part of the body has a lot of sweat glands

 to identify between the left palm and forearm has more sweat glands

MATERIALS:

Bond paper (1x1 cm) Betadine (Iodine)

Scotch tape Cotton

PROCEDURE:

1. Make a hypothesis about the distribution of sweat glands on the palm and forearm. Justify the
hypothesis.
2. Cut two (2) pieces of 1x1 cm into the bond paper. Attached the paper squares into the scotch tape.
3. Put small amount of betadine into the palm and forearm larger than the paper squares that is cut.
4. Have your partner securely place the scotch tape with the bond paper on top of betadine-painted area
of both palm and forearm. Leave them in place for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, remove the paper squares and count or identify which has more number of sweat
glands (blue-black dots) on the paper.
6. Take a photo for documentation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Forearm

Palm

Hypothesis: The forearm has more sweat glands than the palm.

As you can see in the image above, the hypothesis is rejected which means that the palm has more sweat
glands than the forearm. The palm has more black-blue dots on the paper which represents the number of sweat
glands. The number of dots can’t be seen clearly so it can’t be counted but still the image shows the proper result.
There are two types of sweat glands; eccrine and apocrine sweat glands. The palm contains a higher density of
eccrine sweat glands so the sweats on the palm are stronger than the forearm. The eccrine sweat glands on palms
respond to emotional stress, rather than increased body temperature. The sympathetic (autonomic) nervous system
controls the sweating.

ACTIVITY 4: TAKING AND IDENTIFYING INKED FINGERPRINTS

OBJECTIVES:

After performing this activity, you should be able;

 to identify the different fingerprints of the fingers

 to identify the classification of the fingerprint

MATERIALS:

Bond paper

Stamp pad

PROCEDURE:

1. Prepare the materials that will be used in the activity.

 2. Wash your hands and put your index finger and thumb finger on the stamp pad and stamp it on the
bond paper. Repeat if the stamp is not clear.
3. Take a photo for documentation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Fingerprint is the impression that is made by the papillary ridges on the fingers ends. The different
fingerprints of the subject can be easily identified as one because each fingerprint is unique and serves as an
identity of a person because it does not alter with growth or age. The responsible for the several patterns of
fingerprints is the friction ridges in which the fingertips are clearest when it is inked and is pressed in a white
paper like the experiment. The subject has a plain whorl pattern which has a two deltas and a ridge whose circuit
may be spiral, oval or circular in shape.

ACTIVITY 5: IDENTIFYING NAIL STRUCTURES

OBJECTIVES:

After performing this activity, you should be able;

 to identify the parts of the nails and functions

MATERIALS:

Nail model

Anatomy and Physiology Book

PROCEDURE:

1. Download a picture of a nail model.

2. Identify its parts and functions.
3. Label the picture.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

 Parts of the nail Definition
Body of the nail - the visible attached portion
Free edge of nail - portion of the nail that grows out away from the body
Hyponychium - region beneath the free edge of the nail
Root - part that is embedded in the skin and adheres to an
epithelial nail bed
Nail folds - skin folds that overlap the borders of the nail
Eponychium - thick proximal nail fold commonly called the cuticle
Nail bed - extension of the stratum basale beneath the nail
Nail matrix - thickened proximal part of the nail bed containing
germinal cells responsible for nail growth.
Lunule - proximal region of the thickened nail matrix
- appears as a white crescent.

GENERALIZATION/SUMMARY:

In conclusion, the integumentary system plays a vital role in a human’s life. Its parts functions differently
according to what our body needs. It has also different sensory receptors responsible for feeling different things
that is needed in our daily human activities. It also responds to emotional stress and helps us in regulating our
temperature by releasing sweat in our body. Integumentary system has fingerprints that are used as an identity of
an individual because it can be easily identified because no one shares the same fingerprints. The nails have
different parts with different functions. Its function is to protect the distal phalanx, the fingertip, and the
surrounding soft tissues from injuries. The activity above helps to understand the integumentary system deeper.

REFERENCES:

 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/fingerprint

 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-function-of-nails-in-humans
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/fingerprint
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://cse.msu.edu/~cse802/Papers/802_FPClassification.pdf
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?
qid=20070325111126AAcYtIZ&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWNvc2lh
Lm9yZy8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADO8LcMVwg0ZGCJom75VIvZZSnNOyuky49ibhYZk9l
pEkutdpeUMIDB6-
Tt8BA31rT3YKg5aV0O52yFzLMHEzJ2nfw2N874GKbFeh4gpbZF6ImRNwlLP4IaterFMONOp
i40eETrayxukvL-B3TS_gVn-pDWiCVm1nHxZbJUEdpN5
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://quizlet.com/51812525/integumentary-system-flash-cards/
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://healthjade.net/dermis/
 (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/picture-of-the-skin