THE BONY FRAMEWORK 



33 



i 





52. The Thigh Bone. The femur, or thigh 

 bone, the largest and heaviest bone in the 

 body, reaches from the hip to the knee. It 

 has a rounded head, which fits into the cup- 

 like cavity in the hip bone which has already 

 been mentioned. 



53. The Bones of the Leg. The leg consists, 

 like the forearm, of two bones. The larger, 

 a strong, three-sided bone with a sharp edge 

 in front, is called the tibia. It is commonly 

 known as the shin bone. 



The smaller bone, bound at 

 both ends to the tibia, as a pin 

 is to a brooch, is called the fibula, 

 meaning a buckle or clasp. It is 

 a long, slender bone on the out- 

 side of the leg, and its lower end 

 forms the outer ankle 



Covering the knee joint in part 

 is a flat, three-sided bone, called 

 the patella, or kneepan, which 



FIG. 24. The 



Femur. helps to protect the front of the 



knee joint. 



54. The Bones of the Foot. The foot con- 

 sists of twenty-six bones, which are known 

 as the tarsal and metatarsal bones, and the 

 phalanges. 



The seven tarsal, or ankle bones form the 

 heel, the ankle, and part of the sole of the 



foot. These bones are tied firmly together 



,. . FIG. 25. The 



by straps, or ligaments, and are strong enough Tibia and the 



to bear the weight of the body. Fibula. 



