Regional Sweating in Eskimos Compared to Caucasians

After pharmacological stimulation, prints of functioning sweat glands were obtained from 17 skin sites on the face, body, and limbs of 37 adult male Eskimos and 21 Caucasian controls.Eskimos showed greater numbers and greater activity of functioning sweat glands on exposed parts of the face such as nose and cheeks, while responding with significantly less sweat gland activity on all body surfaces that are normally heavily clothed in winter. Trunks, arms, hands, legs, and feet showed a progressive reduction of sweat gland response in the order of one-half on the trunk to one-fifth on feet when comparing mean sweat gland counts per square centimeter in Eskimos and controls. The comparative reduction of sweat gland response in the Eskimos progressed in the same order as the distance of the part from the body core, and as the risk of the part to freezing. Therefore, this reduction of sweat gland activity may represent a morphological and/or functional adaption to environmental conditions including climate and clothing.