Bioengineering and the Skin, 1981 Based on the Proceedings of the European Society for Dermatological Research Symposium, held at the Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff, 19–21 July 1979

R. MARKS Biology has become a 'numbers game'. The advantages of being able to grade changes in tissue, submit results to statistical analysis and accurately record biological phenomena make measurement essential. This is as true for the various disciplines in applied biology as it is for the more esoteric aspects ofthe subject. Regrettably, sk in biologists until recently had not seized the opportunities that the availability of their tissue of interest afforded and fell behind in the exploration of measurement techniques. Probably this resulted in part from the mistaken sentiment that 'to see is to know'. It also originated from the complexity ofthe skin which. as a closely interwoven mixture oftissue types. makes assessments technically difficult. However, we are optimistic about the future. The International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin was formed in Cardiff in ] uly 1979 in response to the wishes of the delegates who had attended the first International Symposium on the subject in Miami in 1976 and the second in Cardiff 3 years later. This volume is the proceedings of the Cardiff meeting. We believe that it demonstrates the brave efforts and variety of new ideas that characterise the studies of scientists who realise the importance of blending the phYSICal sciences with skin biology.

Preliminary Considerations.- 1 Experiments and analyses: A retrospect.- 2 International standards for instruments, measurement methods and units for determination of physical properties and function of skin.- Mechanical Properties.- 3 Effects of fractionated doses of X-irradiation on the mechanical properties of skin: A long-term study.- 4 Flexural properties of human fingernails.- 5 Effects of treatment with prednisolone and PUVA on the mechanical properties of human skin in vivo.- 6 In vivo measurement of some elastic properties of human skin.- 7 A resonance frequency technique to determine the energy absorbed in stratum corneum in vivo.- 8 The mechanics of stratum corneum plasticization with water.- 9 Photosclerosis induced by long wave length ultraviolet light and psoralens.- 10 Skin surface patterns and the directional mechanical properties of the dermis.- 11 The fibrous structure of the skin and its relation to mechanical behaviour.- 12 Mechanical properties of rat skin at high and low loads. Influence of age and desmotrophic drugs.- 13 Point impedance characterisation of soft tissues in vivo.- 14 The gas bearing electrodynamometer applied to measuring mechanical changes in skin and other tissues.- 15 International standardization of instruments used to determine mechanical properties of human skin.- 16 Changes in the mechanical properties of intact guinea-pig skin resulting from ultraviolet irradiation.- 17 The alinear viscoelastic properties of human skin in vivo related to sex and age.- 18 The rheologic properties of human skin and scar tissue.- Measurements of Function and Dimension.- 19 Indirect measures of transepidermal water loss.- 20 Dermatological applications of the Magiscan image analyzing computer.- 21 A modified photometric technique for measuring sebum excretion rate.- 22 Determination in vivo of water concentration profile in human stratum corneum by a photoacoustic method.- 23 Epidermal water and electrolyte content and the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of skin.- 24 Xeroradiographic and ultrasound techniques in the assessment of skin disorder.- 25 Is there a relationship between corneocyte size and stratum corneum function in vivo?.- 26 Relationship of intracorneal cohesion to rates of desquamation in scaling disorders.- 27 Propagation of waves in hair.- Thermal, Acoustic, Optical and Electrical Properties.- 28 Optical radiation transfer in the human skin and applications in in vivo remittance spectroscopy.- 29 Alternating current electrical properties of human skin measured in vivo.- 30 A theoretical and experimental study of the optical properties of skin in vivo.- 31 Dermatological photoacoustic spectroscopy.- 32 Ellipsometric measurement of skin refractive index in vivo.- 33 Influence of thermal properties and epidermal thickness on pain threshold in conductive heating.- 34 Quantification of thermoregulatory mechanisms in relation to psoriasis: thermometry, thermography and venous flow studies.- 35 The surface translucence meter: its use in studying human skin.