Influence of age and different drugs on the healing process in human skin wounds

The paper contains the results the authors obtained when following, by means of electron-microscopic examination, the healing process of skin specimens after tetracyclin and hydrocortisone administration with regard to age. The results were compared to those in experiments, in which the healing of skin wounds in animals was judged by both mechanical tests and autoradiographic evaluations of the fibroblastic and epithelial reaction. It has been found that in the electron-optical picture age reduces the functional activity of the fibroblasts, delays contraction and permits the phase of exudation pass over to that of proliferation. After tetracyclin and hydrocortisone there were no structural changes in the fibroblasts; on the contrary, tetracyclin supported collagenization and both of them further suppressed exudation, which proved to be very favourable in the process of healing.