Skin                                         Chart


Cell types: Epithelial cell, melanocyte, fibroblast

Differential diagnosis
Esophagus and vagina have stratified squamous epithelium which do not have hair follicles and are provided with undercoat of submucosa (esophagus) or smooth muscle (vagina).

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Diagnostic Features:
a. Tissue is hollow and presents with a large lumen which fils more than 1/10th of low power field
b. There are no villi and no cartilage.
c. No spaces but firm compact coats disposed in layers with dermis and epidermis being the most prominent coats.
d. Cells are of stratified squamous epithelium variety with prominent hair follicle sometimes sweat glands.

Draw your own section here and make your diagnosis by data base selection below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Database selection: Practical Tissue Gross

Level 1: Select hollow since the skin is a hollow organ
Level 2: Select large as opposed to small since lumen fills more than 1/10th of low power field for tissues of rat to man. This will select from database both cartilage and no cartilage containing tubes.
Level 3: Select no cartilage. This eliminates the trachea and other respiratory tract tubes and selects digestive system organs with skin and uterus.
Level 4: Select no spaces since no spaces are visible and this picks skin and eliminates uterus.

Note the numerous layers of the skin and identify the 4 layers of the epidermis - strata corneum, lucidum, granulosa, germinativum (i.e. spinosum and basale).