What is the bone?

What it is

• Bone during life is permeated by vessels, and is enclosed, except where it is coated with articular cartilage, in a fibrous membrane, the periosteum, by means of which many of these vessels reach the hard tissue. If the periosteum be stripped from the surface of the living bone, small bleeding points are seen which mark the entrance of the periosteal vessels; and on section during life every part of the bone exudes blood from the minute vessels which ramify in it.
• The interior of each of the long bones of the limbs presents a cylindrical cavity filled with marrow and lined by a highly vascular areolar structure, called the medullary membrane. T HE S TRENGTH OF B ONE C OMPARED WITH OTHER M ATERIALS Substance. Weight in pounds per cubic foot. Ultimate strength. Pounds per square inch. Tension. Compression. Shear.
• Medium steel 490 65,000 60,000 40,000 Granite 170 1,500 15,000 2,000 Oak, white 46 12,500 12 7,000 4,000 13 Compact bone (low) 119 13,200 18,000 11,800 Compact bone (high) &#133… 17,700 24,000 7,150 T HE S TRENGTH OF B ONE C OMPARED WITH OTHER M ATERIALS