The Integumentary System
The integumentary system includes the skin and the epidermal derivatives of hair, nails and glands. The skin is one of the largest structures in the body - a complex organ system that contains millions of sensory receptors and a vascular network and forms a protective covering for the body. The skin is considered to be an organ because it includes several types of tissues that function together. The skin is derived in part from the ectoderm and in part from mesoderm. The skin is an active organ that gets approximately one third of the oxygenated blood that leaves the heart. It varies in thickness, texture and its attachment.
Links
The Integumentary System by Dr.James A. Hightower, Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. 29208
Integumentary System - Lecture notes, Professor Maureen Donnelly, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University
Integument, Dr. Craig S. Hood, Department of Biological Sciences
Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., CANADA (includes slides of thick (friction) skin)
Human Microscopic Anatomy - Integument, UC Davis - School of Medicine
Integumentary System, Dr. Stanley Meizel, UC Davis - School of Medicine
Atlas of Histology (index) College of Medicine, University of Illinois
Atlas of Histology (slide list) College of Medicine, University of Illinois
Medical Histology and Cell Biology - Integument - Definitions Texas Tech University
