THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BODY 



39 



34. Axial Skeleton. The bones of the head, neck, and 

 trunk compose the axial skeleton. 



35. The Skull. At the upper extremity of the vertebral 

 column appears the skull (Fig. 28), composed of (1) the 

 cranium, the strong 



casket which in- 

 closes the most pre- 

 cious part of the 

 animal structure, 

 the brain and (2) 

 the various bones 

 forming the skeleton 

 of the face. 



36. The Cranium. 

 In the adult the 

 cranium consists of 

 eight bones, each 

 composed of two 

 firm, compact plates 

 with a spongy layer 

 between. The bones 



which form the arch Fig. 28. The skull, 



of the head are 

 closely joined to- 

 gether by irregu- 

 larly notched edges, 

 the lines of union 

 being called sutures. 



The cranial bones are named as follows: 1. The fron- 

 tal bone, forming the front of the skull and of especial solid- 

 ity and thickness, as most exposed to injury. 2. The 

 parietal bones, a pair of thin, flat bones meeting along the 

 top of the head. 3. The temporal bones, below the parietal 



1 frontal bone. 6 occipital bone. 



2 parietal bone. 7 superior maxillary 



3 temporal bone. (upper jaw) bone- 



4 sphenoid bone. 8 malar bone. 



5 ethmoid bone. 9 lachrymal bone. 



10 nasal bone. 



11 inferior maxillary (lower jaw) bone. 



