The osteology It is a branch of science that is responsible for the study of bones, specifically their structure and function. The term derives from the Greek roots osteo, which means "bone", and logos, which means "knowledge" or "science".
This area of knowledge not only belongs to the medical field of descriptive anatomy and forensic medical sciences, but is also included within non-medical specialties such as anthropology, paleontology and archeology..
Human osteology is primarily concerned with the description of the bones of the human skeleton, including the teeth and their main characteristics. It is a very important discipline, not only from a descriptive point of view, but also for the identification of pathologies, for the treatment of severe trauma such as sprains and fractures, among others..
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The human body has approximately 206 different bones, including:
- The skull, with its temporal and parietal bones, whose main function is to protect the brain and contain the structures of the face and mouth (teeth, eyes and nose, etc.)
- the auditory ossicles, which form the chain of ossicles found in the ears (hammer, anvil, and stapes)
- The spine and rib cage, with the vertebrae and ribs, which are responsible for protecting, respectively, the spinal cord and soft organs such as the heart and lungs
- The upper extremities, that is, the arms, wrists and hands, where the humerus, the radius, the carpus and metacarpus, and the phalanges are
- The pelvic region, belonging to the lower trunk and which serves for the insertion of different muscles that protect the abdominal viscera and for the fixation of the lower extremities
- The lower extremities, that is, the legs, ankles and feet, with their respective bones such as the femur, the patella, the tibia, the tarsi and the phalanges
Human osteology is a discipline that is dedicated to the study of bones, both from the point of view of their structure and their function. Among some of the basic aspects that this branch of descriptive anatomy deals with, there are also:
- The detailed description of the bone structures and of all the elements of the skeleton, that is, the position and the structural relationship of all the bone elements to each other, as well as the characteristic grooves and notches of each element
- The detailed description of the teeth
- The study of bone formation processes (ossification from cartilaginous tissue)
- Diseases and other pathological conditions that can affect the skeleton, such as trauma, for example
- The analysis of the hardness and / or resistance of the bones
Our skeleton, like that of most vertebrate animals, is a rigid structure that provides support for the muscles and organs that make up our body..
However, it is said to be a "plastic" structure, as it is capable of reacting to internal and external stimuli, reflecting different aspects of our life such as health, lifestyle and the activities we do frequently..
For this reason, osteology is also part of other branches of descriptive and analytical science that are responsible for the study of the “past”, both of ancient civilizations and of the organisms that inhabited the earth before us. These disciplines are the paleontology and the archeology.
In this context, osteology provides important "clues" or evidence regarding the life and causes of death of the humans to whom the fossil skeletons found in archaeological excavations belong..
Through osteology, experts can even determine the height, gender, race, age and, sometimes, the occupation of humans in fossils based on the study of their bones.
Another application of osteological knowledge is applied beyond the description of the history of the past of the first civilizations, since this science is also used to solve police mysteries during the investigation of murders, for example.
Bones are the rigid elements that protect the organs of our body such as the brain, spinal cord, heart and lungs, for example. In addition, they are the places where the muscles are inserted that allow us to move, move and lift objects against gravity..
All the bones in our body are made up of a type of connective tissue that is densely packed and highly organized..
They are not static structures, but are highly dynamic, as they change over time depending on physical stimuli such as pressure and tension. During growth, bones change in shape, size, and thickness through processes known as bone formation and resorption..
The bones, in addition, represent the main storage site of calcium and phosphorus in the body, so they are very important for the maintenance of body homeostasis.
The structure of bones can be divided into three fundamental parts:
- Cmedullary avity: it is the central cavity, inside is the bone marrow, which is the hematopoietic tissue through which blood cells are produced.
- Periostio: the outermost layer of the bones, that is, the one that covers its entire surface, with the exception of the regions corresponding to the joints. It is a very fibrous and dense connective tissue, in whose inner layer there is a set of bone-forming cells (osteogenic)
- ANDndostio: it is the layer that covers the central portion of the bones; consists of a monolayer of osteogenic cells and osteoblasts (which secrete bone matrix)
The matrix of bones is mainly made up of fibers of a protein called collagen I and of ground substance, which is a uniform gelatinous substance..
Depending on the arrangement of these fibers and their degree of compaction, bones are classified as compact or spongy..
Bones are formed and remodeled thanks to the dynamic balance that exists between the cells that compose them. The main cells that make up bones are:
- Costeogenic or osteoprogenitor cells: they are in the internal region of the periosteum and in a large part of the endosteum; are the ones that give rise to the other cells, but mainly they differentiate into osteoblasts.
- ORsteoblasts: derived from osteogenic cells and responsible for synthesizing the organic (living) matrix of bones, i.e. collagen and other proteins. The matrix they secrete progressively surrounds them, causing them to differentiate into osteocytes.
- ORsteocytes: they are mature bone cells and are produced by the inactivation of osteoblasts included in the cavity formed by the matrix that they secrete themselves, which is known as a lagoon.
- ORsteoclasts: they are cells derived from the bone marrow, capable of giving rise to other important cells of the body such as macrophages and granulocytes, important from the point of view of stimulating hematopoiesis. Participate in bone resorption.
There are many ways to classify bones, but one of the most common proposes that they be grouped into four classes: long bones, short bones, flat bones and irregular ones..
These are the ones found on the limbs. Each long bone is made up of a "body" or "shaft" and two limbs..
The body is known as the diaphysis and is a cylindrical structure with a medullary canal and a thick, dense and compact wall in the center of the bone, which becomes thinner towards the ends..
The extremities or ends of these bones, also known as the epiphyses, are usually expanded, in order to form the joints and provide more surface for the attachment of the muscles..
The long bones are: clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, fibula, metacarpals, metatarsals and phalanges.
They are found in the strongest and most compact regions of the body, which have limited movement, such as the carpus and tarsus. They are made of spongy tissue covered with a layer of very compact substances.
They are the bones that are found in places where large protective surfaces or for the fixation of muscle tissue are necessary. Examples of these are the bones of the skull and scapulae.
Flat bones are made up of two thin layers of compact tissue that enclose varying amounts of spongy tissue. They are flat bones: the occipital, the parietal, the frontal, the nasal, the lacrimal, the vomer, the scapula, the hip bone, the sternum and the ribs..
Those bones that cannot be classified in any of the previous groups are known as irregular bones. They are usually made up of spongy tissue enclosed by a thin layer of compact tissue.
Among the irregular bones are: the vertebrae, the sacrum, the coccyx, the temporal, the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the zygomatic, the maxilla, the mandible, the palatine, the inferior nasal shell and the hyoid..
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