After reviewing the history of communication through the skin, this paper considers recent research into the problem of cutaneous stimulation induced both mechanically and electrically. The general demands of a cutaneous communication system are discussed, and four primary dimensions of cutaneous stimulation are summarized (locus, intensity, duration, and frequency). The problems of pattern discrimination, masking and confusion, tracking, and adaptation are presented. The use of a cutaneous communication channel for coding and information processing is explored. Problems relating to cutaneous reception are considered from an anatomical and theoretical view, and include an evaluation of structures of the hand in terms of muscles, muscle spindle, motor unit, motor points, and the pacinian corpuscle. Current views are summarized revealing favor toward a pattern theory of central neural decoding. A 129-item reference list is included. (DP)