ABSTRACT
An irritant is defi ned as any agent, physical or chemical, which is capable of producing cell damage. Everything can be an irritant if applied for suffi cient time and in suffi cient concentration. Water, being the most abundant element of the skin, is usually regarded as banal and gentle. However, the irritancy of water is beyond doubt. All nature evolves from the water. However, as man evolved from the water and became adapted to the earthy environment, the protection from water became one of the chief functions of the skin, which is the major protective organ of the human beings. Except in the fetus, protected by vernix caseosa, prolonged soaking in water is incompatible with human life.
