THE GRADIENT OF PERMEABILITY OF THE SKIN VESSELS AS INFLUENCED BY HEAT, COLD, AND LIGHT

The mounting gradient of permeability along the small vessels of the corium is essentially unaltered by active hyperemia produced by heat, cold, or light. Only when the vascular walls are so damaged that rapid leakage ensues, as shown by the development of edema, does the permeability of the capillary web as a whole approximate that of the venules. It is plain that the normal gradient of vascular permeability depends upon the integrity of the vessel wall. The method of experiment described can be utilized for a study of the functional changes which result in the lesions due to burning and freezing.