Rebecca Stolberg

The Skeletal System

A Brief Introduction
The

human skeletal system was built standing

upright (erect), walking on two legs, as opposed to a
construction where four legs are walked upon.
By adulthood, the skeletal system is comprised of
206 bones. Bones are one of the hardest structures
in the animal body yet they maintain some elasticity.
Bones are divided into four classes: long, short, flat
and irregular.
The skeleton is divided into two parts:
The axial skeleton
The vertebral column, skull, ribs, and sternum
The appendicular skeleton
The limbs

Bones: Why do we have

them?

Support
The give the body a structure on

which tissues can build upon to

create a form.

Protection
Some bones protect organs from

damage.

Movement
Movement using muscles is only

possible due to the presence of

bone support.

Storage
Bones can store fat and some

minerals.

Blood cell formation

Most of bloods components are

made in the bone (marrow).

Bone Composition
Cells & Tissues

What cells are bones

made of?

There are 5 main

types of bone cells:
Osteogenic
Osteoblasts
Osteoclasts
Osteocytes
Bone-lining
Note: Bones are also
made of fat cells and
nerve cells.

Compact Bone Cells

What tissues are bones made

of?

Bones are made up

of three tissue
layers:
Periosteum
Compact Tissue
Cancellous (Spongy)

Tissue

Osteogenic Cells

Osteogenic cells are

found in the interior layer
of the periosteum. Their
purpose is to respond to
trauma. Osteogenic cells
do so by giving rise to
bone making cells, know
as Osteoblasts, and bone
destroying cells, know as
Osteoclasts. Pictured to
the left are Osteogenic
Stem cells from a human
embryo.

Osteoblasts &
Osteoclasts

Osteoblasts are bone forming

and effecting cells. The produce
bone by producing an organic
extracellular matrix that will
become mineralized bone. They
affect changes in bone
structures and are found in the
periosteum.
Osteoclasts are large,
multinucleated cells that break
down (absorb) osseous tissue.
They play a large part in the
growth, healing and remodeling
of bones. They are found in the
lacunae, or little spaces, they
carve out for themselves.
Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts
working together during bone
remodeling are called Basic
Multicellular Units (BMUs).
Illustrated to the left are
Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts
from the jaw a calf embryo.

Osteocytes

Osteocytes are sensor

cells that are encased in
the Osteoblasts. The
hardness of a bone
comes from the
Osteocytes. They are
found in the compact
bone tissue surrounding
the caniculli and
Heversian canals. They
also sense mechanical
stress and trigger bone
remodeling. They
transport minerals into
and out of the bone.
Pictured: Ocy=Osteocyte
Ocl= osteoclasts

Bone Lining Cells

Bone lining cells are also

sensory cells that initiate
bone remodeling. Bone
cells are made from
retired osteoblasts and
are found along the bone
surface of adults. They
regulate the movement
of calcium and phosphate
out of the bone.
Pictured: Arrow points to
bone lining cells.

The Periosteum

The periosteum is a
fibrous membrane that
surrounds the (compact
and cancellous) bones
accept for where there is
articular cartilage. It is
incorporated where
tendons and ligaments
attach to the bone. It
allows tendons and
ligaments to assert and
anchor themselves into
the bone. It consists of
two layers: the outer
formed mainly of
connective tissue and the
inner layer of finer,
elastic fibers that form
membrane networks. It
is houses osteoblasts.

The Compact
Tissue

Compact tissue is the

hard part of the bone.
However, at a
microscopic level, it is
actually not made of
such densely packed
cells. It has canals,
canaliculi, which are filled
with blood vessels. All of
theses canals feed into
larger canal known as the
Haversian canals. These
canals make the bone
hollow. Compact bone is
made of osteocytes and
nerve cells.

The Cancellous
Tissue

Bones get more hallow

the closer you get the
center of them. Spongy,
Cancellous, tissue is not
named such because it is
spongy, it is named such
because of its spongy,
lacey appearance. The
cancellous tissue in ,
especially in long bones
(i.e. the femur) in adults,
house red and yellow
bone marrow and is
where red blood cells are
produced and yellow
marrow is stored as fat.

Bone Systems
Individual Bones, Bone Systems & the Skeletal System

Long, Short, Flat and

Irregular Bones
LONG BONES

Long bones are located in the limbs, and

are made of a shaft and two extremities.
The clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, femur,
tibia, fibula, metacarpals, metatarsals, and
phalanges are all long bones.

FLAT BONES

SHORT BONES

Where bones serve a protective purpose

or broad muscular attachment exist flat
bones. The bones themselves can expand
into plates as in the skull and scapula. The
sternum and the ribs are also flat bones.

IRREGULAR BONES

Where the skeletal system was

Irregular bones is a self explanatory title that

intended for strength with small size
describes a small group of bones that do not fit
andthe
limited
movement
exist
into
proceeding
categories.
Thesmall
include the
vertebra,
sacrum, coccyx,
sphenoid,
bones. Examples
are temporal,
the carsus
and
ethmoid,
zygomatic,
maxilla,
mandible,
tarsus. The consist only of cancellous
palatine, inferior nasal concha, and hyoid.

tissue surrounded by a thin layer of

compact bone.

The Axial Skeleton

The axial skeleton refers to the 80 bones
found in the upper body. Its main
function is to protect organs, such as the
brain and heart, and provide a structure.
The skull, or cranium, houses your brain
and provides structure for your mouth,
eyes, ears and nose, amongst other
things. It is made of 22 cranial and facial
bones plus 3 ear bones on each side.
Babies have more that will fuse together
as they grow.
The backbone, or vertebral or spinal
column, is a flexible column made up of
26 bones. Babies have 33, but as they
mature some fuse together to form the
coccyx and others to form the sacrum.
The Axial Skeleton also includes the bony
thorax consisting of the breastbone ribs
and sternum. There main function is to
protect the heart and lungs.

The Appendicular
Skeleton
The appendicular skeleton refers to al the bones in
the arms and legs which are known as appendages
and their girdles.
The upper appendages, the arms and hands, are
made of small, light bones designed to do work. The
radius and the ulna created the forearm. The ulna
connects with humerus at the elbow joint. The
humerus connects to the shoulder via a ball and
socket joint. The carpus, or wrist, is made of eight
small bones that are connected via gliding joints.
The metacarpals expand from there. The human
thumb is an example of the metacarpals. From there
we have the phalanges, or the fingers, Every finger,
but the thumb, has three.
The lower appendages, the legs and feet, are
structured for support and designed for movements
such as running and jumping. The pelvis and femur
created the ball-and-socket hip joint, which allows
for leg movement. The femur is the longest and
strongest bone in the body. The tibia and the fibula
make the lower leg and have a restricted range of
movement. The feet have tarsus and metatarsus,
which are similar to the hands carpals and
metacarpals. It would be possible for our feet to be
made entirely out of one bone, but the multitude of
bones we have allow the feet to accommodate
changes in terrain.

Finally, all the bones come together to make the skeletal

system (see slides two & three).

The End

Works Cited
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Union College Engineering. Bone Cells. Schenectady, NY, 2010. Print. Web.

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