Auspitz's sign is the appearance of punctate bleeding spots when psoriasis scales are scraped off, named after Heinrich Auspitz.This happens because there is thinning of the epidermal layer overlying the tips of the dermal papillae and blood vessels within the papillae are dilated and tortuous, which bleed readily when the scale is removed.
Famous quotes containing the word sign:
“Woman—for example, look at her case! She turns tantalizing inviting glances on you. You seize her. No sooner does she feel herself in your grasp than she closes her eyes. It is a sign of her mission, the sign by which she says to man: “Blind yourself, for I am blind.””
—Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936)