Chapter 2. Prehension

Chapter 6 - During Contact 217
1 1 I ! I l l ~ 1 1 I I I l l l I I 1 I I I (
Figure 6.4 A. Discharge of sweat from a single sweat gland of
the palm (secretion at rest) time marking indicates 5 seconds
(Takahara) B. discharge of sweat from a single sweat gland of the
palm during the grasping of a dynamometer. Time marking
indicates 5 seconds (Takahara) (from Lobitz and Mason, 1948, in
Rothman, 1954; reprinted by permission).
across individuals, and to other body parts, and implications of this
lubrication for grasping forces studied both experimentally and
computationally.
Rothman (1954, p. 164) notes, "It appears that little attention has
been paid to the phenomenon which may be labeled as 'conditioning'
of eccrine glands". This means that sweat glands react differently
under different conditions in response to the same stimulus. For
example, almost any type of thermal or mental sweating is likely to
cause sweating more quickly in summer than in winter. This may be
reflecting either an increase in tonus of myoepithelial cells or a
heightened sensitivity due to tuning of the neural pathways, both of
which would increase the responsiveness of the gland to nervous and