sudoriferous gland, one of about 2 million tiny structures within the dermis that produce perspiration and secrete it via a sudoriferous duct to the skin’s surface. The average quantity of perspiration secreted in 24 hours varies from 700 to 900 g. Each sudoriferous gland consists of a single tube with a deeply coiled body and a superficial duct. The number of glands per square centimeter of skin varies in different parts of the body. The sudoriferous glands are very plentiful on the palms of the hands and on the soles of the feet, least numerous in the neck and the back, and completely absent in the deeper parts of the external auditory meatus, the prepuce, and the glans penis. Most are eccrine glands, producing perspiration that carries away sodium chloride, the waste products urea and lactic acid, and the breakdown products from garlic, spices, and other substances. Apocrine sweat glands associated with the coarse hair of the armpits and the pubic region are larger and secrete fluid that is much thicker than that secreted by the eccrine glands. Also called sweat gland. Compare sebaceous gland.
