Skin colour is perhaps the most decisive and abused physical characteristic of humankind. This book presents a multidisciplinary overview of how and why human populations vary so markedly in their skin colour. The biological aspects of the pigment cell and its production of melanin are reviewed. The functions of melanin in the skin, brain, eye and ear are considered, and the common clinical abnormalities of pigmentation, such as albinism, are described and illustrated. Detailed reflectance data from worldwide surveys of skin colour are also presented. The historical and contemporary background of the phenomenon is explored in relation to the so-called 'colour problem' in society. Finally, the possible evolutionary forces which shape human pigmentation are assessed. This fascinating account will be of interest to graduate students and researchers of biological anthropology, anatomy, physiology and dermatology, as well as medical practitioners.
Contents
Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Biology of the pigment cell; 2. The biochemical and hormonal control of pigmentation; 3. Ultraviolet radiation and the pigmentary system; 4. Functions of melanin; 5. Non-cutaneous melanin: distribution, nature and relationship to skin melanin; 6. The properties and possible functions of non-cutaneous melanin; 7. Measurement of skin colour; 8. Disorders of hyperpigmentation; 9. Disorders of hypopigmentation; 10. Skin colour and society: the social-biological interface; 11. The evolution of skin colour; References; Index.
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