Relationship between suint and the sweat glands

Abstract

In the fleece of sheep with different types of skin, suint (cold water extract of the greasy fleece) was shown to be associated with the presence and size of the sweat glands. In the absence of sweat glands, suint was produced in substantially less than normal quantities, whereas the amount was much greater where the sweat glands were large.

Similarly, the amount of potassium in suint, in skin, and in fluid from dermal cysts was much larger in the presence of sweat glands. The conclusion that suint is therefore largely produced by sweat glands was substantiated by the detection of high concentrations of potassium in sheep sweat.