Atlas of microscopic structures of fur skins [Atlas des structures microscopiques des fourrures].

Résumé

Approximately 150 different species of animal furs are presently produced by the fur industry. Insufficient supplies of certain types of skin, and the increased cost of rare skins, have compelled fur manufacturers to change the colour, thickness, hair shape, and other such properties of cheaper skins, and to perfect imitations of rare skin types. It has therefore become increasingly important for people in the fur trade to be able to identify the products in microscopic detail. Such identification is also necessary for archaeologists, zoologists and criminologists. Microscopy is a commonly available method, but when trying to use this technique for identification of an unknown sample, it is necessary to compare microscopic features with those of a great number of species having similar patterns. The primary objective of this book is to fill a gap in the available reference material by presenting an exact description and proper illustrations of a wide range of skin species. Secondly, it aims to complete the fur microscopic pattern classification with newly recognised types, together with the adaptation of the nomenclature to the microstructures observed by modern electromicroscopic techniques. The book contains a wide collection of microphotographic figures and the numerical codes for the microscopic structures of fur. This first volume covers approximately one half of the range of important skin species. The remaining skin species will appear in a second volume. This book will be invaluable to animal fur breeders, veterinary specialists, fur manufacturers, zoologists, archaeologists, and criminologists.