THE STRUCTURE AND ECONOMY OF BONE 



A texture may be considered either by itself, or in connection 

 with the parts which usually accompany it. These subsidiary 

 parts may be entirely removed without interfering with the ana- 

 tomical constitution of the texture. It is essentially non-vascular, 

 neither vessels nor nerves entering into its intimate structure. 

 It possesses in itself those powers by which it is nourished, pro- 

 duces its kind, and performs the actions for which it is destined, 

 the subsidiary or superadded parts supplying it with materials 

 which it appropriates by its own inherent powers, or connecting 

 it in sympathetic and harmonious action with other parts of the 

 organism to which it belongs. 



In none of the textures are these characters more distinctly 

 seen than in the osseous. A well macerated bone is one of the 

 most easily made, and, at the same time, one of the most curious 

 anatomical preparations. It is a perfect example of a texture 

 completely isolated, the vessels, nerves, membranes and fat, are 

 all separated, and nothing is left but the non-vascular osseous 

 substance. 



The osseous texture of a fresh bone, considered in this way, 

 consists of two parts, a hard and a soft. The hard part, com- 

 posed of earthy salts, deposited in a cartilaginous matrix, has 

 already been carefully examined by anatomists. The soft has 

 not yet attracted attention, in consequence of the manner in 



