The role of specialized nerve terminals in cutaneous sensibility

Abstract

Correlation of sensory testing and histological examination does not support the belief that the morphology of the nerve terminals in the human lip and finger pad determines a sensory specificity. No 'organized endings' have been found in hairy skin from the abdomen, the dorsum of the finger or the lip, in spite of the use of techniques capable of satisfactorily demonstrating them elsewhere in the same histological section. It is suggested that there may be a simple, consistent and non-specific plan of construction underlying the apparently diverse morphology of both the 'organized endings' and the terminals around the hairs.