ABSTRACT
One of the most evocative lines of the Alexandrian poet Constantine Cavafy is “The lips and the skin remember”. Touch is not a simple, single sensation but a complex experience synthesised from the combinations of messages sent by a variety of quite different receptor organs lodged in or just beneath our skins. As old age progresses, losses of receptors blunt sensitivity. Declines of touch sensitivity begin in late middle age, but before age 65 they do not seem to have much effect on highly practised manual skills. The decline of manual dexterity in old age caused by losses of receptor sensitivity in the fingers is compounded by losses of muscle strength and joint flexibility. Losing sensation in our feet and hands also causes other problems. Loss of skin receptor sensitivity in our feet contributes to unsteadiness when walking on irregular surfaces.
