title: [Do elastic corpuscles appear prenatally? Histological studies of the skin of embryos and fetuses].
abstract: There have been descriptions of corpuscular structures in the human skin since the turn of the century. These bodies 3-20 micron in size are situated in the zone connecting the epidermis and corium. They can be readily visualized with resorcinol-fuchsin staining according to Weigert and are regarded as morphological variants of the elastic fiber system. According to the investigations we have carried out so far on the skin of babies, infants and adults, these elastic globes exhibit the following distribution pattern: abundant occurrence on the limbs, only scanty occurrence on the trunk and the hands. With increasing age, a numerical increase of elastic globes can be demonstrated in babies and in infants. In adults, there is an opposite tendency in the hands and feet. Here, the frequency of elastic globes decreases with increasing age. To clarify the question as to whether precursors of elastic globes are present, the skin of 35 embryos and fetuses was systematically examined for their occurrence and the results of the investigation are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Universität Würzburg.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vock
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heilmeier
mesh_terms: D004547:Elastic Tissue / Q000196:embryology*; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000196:embryology*
vernacular_title: Treten elastische Körperchen bereits pränatal auf? Histologische Untersuchungen an der Haut von Embryonen und Feten.