Abstract
Summary
Histamine and mast cells were studied in human fetal skin. Skin histamine rose with increasing fetal age. The appearance of identifiable mast cells coincided with the presence of larger amounts of cell-bound histamine in skin. The investigations also demonstrated a high ratio of wet weight to dry defatted weight, which declined with increasing fetal age. This is in agreement with the observation that tissue edema invariably initiates processes of connective-tissue growth, repair, and regeneration. It is proposed that, in early fetal life characterized by rapid growth, the demand for histamine is so considerable that storage of cell-bound histamine in skin cannot take place.
The author is indebted to the Laboratory for Fetal Research (Head: Dr. Henning Andersen, Children's Dept., Univ. Hasp, of Copenhagen) supported by the Association for the Aid of Crippled Children, New York, and Dr. Helge Andersen, Univ. Inst. of Medical Anatomy, Copenhagen, for assistance in obtaining specimens used in these studies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.