THE FINAL RESPONSE OF THE SMALL CUTANEOUS VESSELS

A study of the blanchings (Bier's spots) which develop in human skin deprived of circulation has proved them referable to the same general causes that lead to ischemic patching of the skin of animals, and that they are conditioned by the same factors. Both are expressions of a secondary contraction of vessels that have become hyperirritable owing to an inadequate circulation. The contraction is favored by emptying the vessels, but it occurs pronouncedly even when there is a trickle through them of arterial blood. In the case of man the contractile impulse is sometimes so great as to overcome the maximum pressure that the vessels will support. The significance of the observations is discussed.