THE SKIN – THE SWEAT GLANDS
The manifold functions of the sweat glands have only gradually come to be recognised. The body has about two million sweat glands, each one being about 5 mm (about Vs inch) long. Without perspiring, they evaporate 1-1.5 litres (1.7-2.6 pints) of water during the course of a day. If exudation is increased by means of a steam bath, a sauna bath or by living in the tropics, the body is able to give produce up to ten times this quantity of water.
If it were possible to combine all the sweat pores into one single tube, its diameter would be about 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). The size of such a tube makes it easy to understand why so much water is able to escape. Taste a drop of sweat and you will see that it is salty; on litmus paper its reaction is acid. In fact, sweat contains sodium salts, potassium, sulphuric acid, iron, phosphorus, lactic acid and as much urea as one kidney excretes, for which reason the skin could be called the ‘third kidney’. The skin can exude arsenic and other poisons, possibly resulting in eczema and other skin eruptions. This shows the wisdom of treating skin problems internally as well as externally. Indeed, it explains why sweat treatments have cured many an illness.
The sweat glands are the units of a temperature control system that makes life in the tropics more bearable. By evaporating water through the sweat glands it is possible to lose heat of up to 500 calories. Keep the functions of the skin in good working order and you will be observing one of the most important rules for good health.
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