An Experimental Study of Nail Growth

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Abstract
A technique is described for the measurement of the linear growth rate of the nail of the rat. Accurate assessment of the rate can be made in two to three days. The growth rate of the nail has been measured in animals kept under a variety of experimental conditions, including the effects of poor diets, heat, cold, restraint, cortisone and ethionine. Conditions which affect the metabolic status of the animal are accompanied by alterations in the growth rate of the nails. Data, previously published, relating to nail growth in the human subject, are supported by these experiments with the rat. It is suggested that further work seems to be worth while in the experimental animal, to decide the physiological significance of nail growth; particularly its use as an indicator of metabolic status.