Abstract
A large sample of spectral relectance curves of clinically normal and pathological human skin was analysed by multivariate statistical procedures in a quest to identify underlying fundamental characteristics by which skin types could be described. The sample of dermatological skin conditions could be classified into five groups. A sample of skins from premature ill-babies could be classified into four groups with similar general characteristics to the dermatological sample. Discriminant analyses showed a poor relationship between these groups and pathology or the clinically described skin colour appearance. There was, however, evidence to suggest that the groups were related to the degree of pigmentation present in the skin. Special colour rendering indices were calculated for the nine cluster-group mean spectral reflectance curves. Two of these provided a simple means of distinguishing between a number of lamps which had been identified in earlier studies to be acceptable or unacceptable for use during clinical examination of patients. These lamps included certain new narrow-band emitting fluorescent lamps having a correlated colour temperature around 4000 K. A new specification for lamps to be used for general purposes in clinical areas in hospitals was established. It incorporates the existing limits of lamp chromaticity and the CIE Special Colour Rendering Indices for the two mean skin reflectance curves which enabled lamps to be distinguished from each other.
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