MEDICO-BIOLOGIC RESEARCH 



Haversian canals in compact bone or go 

 parallel to the long axis in trabeciilae of 

 cancellous bone. Bundles of these clacified 

 fibers comprise "x-ray opatiue stratum." It 

 alternates with another stratum called 

 "x-ray rarefied." Both strata run parallel 

 one to another. X-ray rarefied stratum con- 

 sists of (1) thin calcified fibers crossing the 

 bone in direction perpendicular or oblique 

 to Haversian canal or to the long axis of 

 trabecula and, probably, (2) of amorphous 

 calcified ground substance in which intra- 

 osseous lacunae are mostly located. These 

 microradiographic data supplement and 

 clarify those of electron microscopy and 

 explain those differences in calcification of 

 osteons which were seen by the above men- 

 tioned authors. The work presents new data 

 on the localization of intraosseous lacunae 

 which, according to previous authors (e.g., 

 Weidenreich) (114), should be localized along 

 non-calcified fibers (Fig. 13, 14). 



Microradiographic studies of auditory 

 ossicles were performed by Karlsson et al. 

 {11). They showed that in the ossicles similar 

 calcium distribution occurs as in fine-fibered 

 bone of the human skeleton. 



Another group of works using microradiog- 

 raphy as a principal method comprise those 

 studying bone patholog3^ They were pub- 

 lished mostly by Swedish authors. Engfeldt 

 and Zetterstrom (52) investigated osteodys- 



FiG. 13. MRD of undecalcified human bone, 27 

 years old, 5;u, approx. X80. Stratification of fine- 

 fibered bone, its elasticity are conspicuous. 



Fig. 14. MRD of undecalcified human bone, 72, 

 10 m, approx. X120. The pronounced stratification 

 as well as disunited strata on the superior bone sur- 

 face are clearly shown. In comparison with a young 

 bone the aging bone appears to be blacker in I\IRD 

 thus revealing the les.ser content of calcium. 



metamorphosis in one case of a ten months 

 old child by microradiography and other 

 methods (histology, autoradiography, mi- 

 croscopy with polarized light, etc.). A de- 

 mineralization of the skeleton together with 

 the presence of calcium in kidneys is well 

 shown in their microradiographs. Their find- 

 ing was also very important in the fact that 

 collagen fibrils are not destroyed when cal- 

 cium is lost from them. In other words, the 

 results of these authors contradict the theory 

 of bone resorption accepted by most in the 

 literature (see below). 



Two cases of Paget 's disease were investi- 

 gated by Engfeldt et al. (58) making use of 

 x-ray diffraction and microradiography. They 

 found a considerable difference in mineral 

 content between normal and Paget 's bone 

 newly organized. This finding is in disagree- 

 ment with- the existing theory according to 

 which no pathological bone is produced in 

 Paget's disease, only normal processes of 

 growth and resorption are exaggerated 

 (Dible, 1950) (45). Of course, on two cases 

 no one can make final conclusions but these 

 results must encourage fresh investigations 

 especially with the new improved technique. 



Engfeldt ct al. (51) investigated bones of 4 

 cases of osteogenesis imperfecta. Their findings 



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