PART II 



ARTHROLOGY, OR THE ANATOMY OF THE 

 ARTICULATIONS 



THE GENERAL STRUCTURE OF JOINTS 



BONES, cartilage, ligaments, and synovial membrane enter 

 into the formation of joints. 



The articular portions of bones are enlarged to form a joint 

 of suitable size, and so that muscles passing over the joint 

 can act at a greater angle. The layer of bone beneath the 

 cartilage is a compact articular lamella. There are three varieties 

 of cartilage hyaline, fibrocartilage, and yellow elastic. The 

 hyaline and fibrocartilage are utilized in the structure of a 

 joint. 



The ligaments are mainly white fibrous tissue; some are 

 yellow elastic tissue. 



The synovial membrane is like a short wide tube covering 

 the inner surface of the ligaments; its secretion is synovia, 

 95 per cent, water, 3.51 per cent, albumin and salts. There 

 are three kinds of synovial membrane articular, bursal, and 

 vaginal. The former in the fetus is said to cover the articular 

 cartilages as well as ligaments. 



The bur see are mucous as between integument and bone 

 (subcutaneous synovial bursee), and synovial between muscles 

 or tendons and bone (sub tendinous synovial bursse). 



Vaginal synovial membranes are sheaths for tendons. 



