The Human Significance Of Skin

THE HUMAN SIGNIFICANCE OF SKIN

Skin is often over looked and under appreciated by all of us. We live our lives habitually without realizing what an amazing and important role skin plays in our every day routine. Our skin protects us from many things, keeps us informed of our surroundings and makes us aware of many dangers present. The sense of touch is our most developed feeling and the predecessor of all of our other senses. The author gives several examples on how we have incorporated our sense of touch to our colloquial language as an expression of just how much we use our skin. But our skin may serve more purposes than those of protection and information. Through several experiments it has been demonstrated that the sense of touch is highly associated with the immune system, the development of social skills, and even the survival of the species.

Montagu uses a number of case studies in which he relates skin to death rates and success in healing wounds. On one particular study done on laboratory rats where humans had handled the first group and had not handled the second group, the conclusions were surprising. After a surgery were the thyroid and parathyroid glands had been removed on both groups, the survival rate of the group handled by humans was 87% compared to 12% for the group that had not been handled by humans. This study seemed to shed light on the need since birth for skin-to-skin contact from the parents towards their newborn and vice versa. The bond created during those firsts instants that mother and newborn spend together will not only help the mother but will also teach the newborn skills that it will need for survival.

* Stimulus: An action or event that elicits a behavioral response.

* Response: A behavior, either instinctual or learned, that is elicited by a certain stimulus.

* Conditioning: Any learning process that occurs within the laws of behavioral theory.

Montagu talks about a study done by professor Harry Harlow on monkeys. Harlow discovered that infant monkeys raised in a wire mesh cage survived with difficulty if at all during the first five days of their life. But when terry cloth was ...

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... shying away from what nature has intended to be and is raising unfit mothers. The most alarming consequence of these actions is the fact that this creates a never-ending circle where we see more abuse and child neglect day by day.

Before reading this article I never had questioned the function of my skin to a deeper level than just skin. It seemed like a protective layer and i liked the fact that it tans nicely during the summer. After reading this article i have gained some knowledge that i will pass on to my sister and my children. Skin is a major organ and an extra sense that we have been blessed to have. Communication between a mother and a child has never seen so beautiful and natural to me before. This article has given me the insight to practice all those rituals that I saw my mother perform on my sister and that she surely performed on me. Now i understand why she massaged us with baby oil every day and enjoyed stroking our foreheads for hours. That was just her way of preparing us for what we will become one day. Mothers of happy, healthy, well adjusted children.