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PLEASE NOTE A NEW 4TH EDITION HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND IS AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARY AND IN PRINT
The skin is the largest of the organs. It performs a wide variety of functions vital to maintenance of the homeostatic status of the body and plays an active role in immune responses via the innate and acquired immune system. In addition, different regions of the skin such as the ears, eyelids, lips, prepuce, footpads and claws have specialized functions and differ structurally from the skin that covers the general body surface. A consideration of all these topics is beyond the scope of this chapter. Attention will be concentrated on the anatomy and physiology of the unspecialized skin and its role in body defence, with the aim of providing a basis for understanding the pathogenesis of cutaneous disease. The chapter focuses on the epidermis; hair and its associated structures; the dermoepidermal junction; the dermis, and the skin as an immune organ.
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