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Skin-The Wonderwrap-8

© Narayan Dattatray Wadadekar

An important function of the skin is to help us to know what changes are taking place around us. Dermis of the skin has most of the receptors of the skin. The receptors are easily excitable cells. The receptors change the signals like – touch, pressure, heat, into tiny electric currents which can be sent to the brain. This process is called transduction.

So all the receptors are transducers and any kind of signal (stimulus) is ultimately converted in our bodies into a tiny electrical current.

Free nerve endings in the dermis of our skin get for us the sensations of warmth, cold and pain.

In the previous article “Skin The Wonderwrap – 7” we have taken a look at Pacinian corpuscles and have considered the sensation of touch. The Pacinian corpuscles are receptors of touch and vibrations. Merkel's discs too are touch receptors and are located deep in the dermis, especially of the palms and soles.

Let us now become familiar with other sensations we receive through the skin.

As the touch becomes intense it is felt as pressure and as pressure increases it is felt as pain.
If a man wearing shoes with wide heel steps accidentally upon our foot we hardly feel any pain. A lady with same body weight but wearing high heel shoes does the same we certainly feel pain, as the pressure is much more now, with reduced area of the heel. God forbid, but if someone wearing stiletto shoes steps upon our foot we will howl in pain. As is seen in the figure to the left-hand side, as the area of contact reduces with body weight remaining the same, pressure increases and touch becomes pressure and finally is perceived as pain.

You may now realize why straps of bags and brief cases are wide.

Meissner's corpuscles are receptors for touch and superficial pressure. They are flattened Schwann cells and are oval in shape. They are located on the boundary of epidermis and dermis. Several of them are present on the fingertips, palm, and sole of the foot and nipples.

Organs of Ruffini are found deep in the dermis and detect rise in temperature that is warmth.

End bulbs of Krause detect low temperature that is coldness. The concentration of cold receptors is higher than that of the warmth receptors. (3-10 times according to one estimate).

In addition many free nerve endings are widely distributed in the skin and help in detecting rise or fall in temperature. The free nerve endings also help in detecting pain, touch, and pressure. If you wish to take a look at the free (unencapsulated) nerve ends please visit -

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