2O ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



CLASSIFICATION OF BONES 



The bones of the body are divided into four groups: 

 long, short, flat, and irregular. These go to make up the 

 frame that protects the internal organs, and provides 

 attachment for the several soft parts. 



The long bones are those that make up the extremi- 

 ties; the short bones are those of the hands and feet; the 

 flat bones are those of the shoulder-blades, pelvis, 

 skull, etc.; the irregular bones are those of the spine, 

 as well as the ethmoid, the temporal, etc. 



What have we to say about the surfaces of bones? If 

 you examine a bone, you will notice that it has certain 

 eminences and depressions; these have technical names, 

 and it should be the aim of the nurse to become acquainted 

 with each, so that she will be able to describe a part con- 

 cerned in an injury in a practical manner. These bony 

 eminences and depressions are of two kinds : articular and 

 non-articular. 



Examples of articular eminences are found in the head 

 of the arm bone (humerus) and thigh bone (femur). As 

 examples of articular depressions may be mentioned the 

 glenoid cavity of the scapula (shoulder- joint) and the 

 acetabulum, the cavity with which the thigh bone ar- 

 ticulates with the pelvis. 



Non-articular eminences are distinguished by their 

 form; for example, a broad, rough, uneven part of a bone 

 is called a tuberosity; a small, rough prominence, a tubercle; 

 a sharp, slender, pointed eminence, a spine; a narrow, 

 rough elevation, a ridge or a line. The non-articular 

 eminences and depressions serve to form a larger field 

 for muscular attachments, and are greater in persons who 

 are well developed from exercise. 



Non-articular depressions vary in form, and are known 

 as fossae, grooves, furrows, fissures, notches, etc. 



