THE PATTERNING of eruptions, the response of the skin to infection, and many other facets of cutaneous behavior depend upon the changing and changeable barriers and fairways within this organ. A few imperfectly known and probably many unknown factors control this state of flux. These recently intensively studied phenomena are now generally known under the collective term of spreading. We now know several factors for influencing the latter, and one of them is the balance of hormones. In this it is believed the adrenocortical group plays a leading role. The present study shows the effects of locally placed adrenocortical hormones* on spreading of materials within the skin.
The influence of adrenocortical hormones on the intradermal spreading of dyes was first examined by Opsahl in 1949.† She found that in the rabbit locally and intravenously administered adrenocortical extract inhibited cutaneous spreading. Winter and Flataker5 observed a similar effect