|
|
The "flesh", which is white connective sub-cutaneous tissue containing fat, is also removed. The dermis is processed to obtain the tanned hide or leather. It consists of bundles of connective fibers, made up of even smaller fibrils which are all interwoven to form a three-dimensional "mesh." It is very dense towards the surface (papillary layer) and less dense in the reticular layer. There is a mass of cemented substances composed of a protein complex (globulin) between the fibers; the fibrils are composed of a protein called collagen which is of fundamental importance in the tanning process. As a matter of curiosity, the total surface area of all the fibrils contained in just one gram of leathers in 50 square meters! The surface of the fibers collect and circulate the perspiration in the form of vapor and transfer it to the outer surface of the skin. |
|