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The response of skin and wool growth to local subdermal temperature changes in a sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. Jolly  and
A. G. Lyne
M. Jolly
Affiliation:
Department of Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery, University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W. 2006, Australia
A. G. Lyne
Affiliation:
G.S.I.B.O., Division of Animal Physiology, Ian Clunies Ross Animal Research Laboratory, Prospect, N.S.W., 2149, Australia
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Summary

Heat-exchange chambers, one for heating and one for cooling, were surgically embedded beneath the skin of a sheep. The intensity of heating and cooling was progressively increased, producing average subdermal temperatures up to 50·3 °C over one chamber and down to 21·0 °C over the other. The normal subdermal temperature was 37·7 °C.

Moderate heating produced a small increase in the length growth rate of wool over the hot chamber. Higher temperatures caused a marked reduction and with still further heating there was almost complete cessation of wool growth.

In contrast to heating, cooling always caused a suppression of wool growth which became more pronounced as the degree of cooling was intensified. The length growth rate decreased to half of normal at one stage but it never ceased.

There was evidence of a slight but progressive decrease in fibre diameter with increasing subdermal temperatures up to 45 °C but at a temperature of 48 °C many of the fibres exhibited a marked thickening. Cooling the skin had little effect on fibre diameter. Pigmentation of the fibres was unchanged throughout the whole range of temperatures used and there was no evidence of change in crimping of the fibres.

Heating in the range 45–50 °C produced an increase in epidermal thickness. Sweat and sebaceous glands, and erector muscles appeared unchanged after heating or cooling but innervation of the skin appeared to be reduced by extreme heating.

The skin and wool growth over a dummy chamber were normal and similar in all respects to that in other control areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 75 , Issue 3 , December 1970 , pp. 501 - 515
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1970

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