Histology and cytochemistry of human skin. XIX. The development and fate of the axillary organ.

The development and fate of the apocrine sweat glands in the axilla are not yet well elucidated. The development (Borsetto, 1951 (1)), the structure and function (Shelley and Hurley, 1953 (2); Rothman, 1954 (3); Montagna, 1956 (4)), and the ageing changes (Montagna, 1956a (5); Winkelmann and Hultin, 1958 (6)) of these glands are relatively well understood, but very little is known about their development in infancy and childhood and in old age. Confusion still exists about the state of the axillary glands during the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy. To clear these controversies, biopsy specimens were collected from the axilla of the same women at weekly intervals during the menstrual cycle and in pregnant women at monthly intervals.