Class Activities

Internal Structure of Bones

Go to a butcher and ask for the proximal region of a sheep or pig femur. Try to get a piece long enough to go beyond the trochanters. Next, talk your butcher into sawing this lengthwise so as to show a longitudinal section of the head. The trabeculae, medullary cavity, red marrow, and lines of stress should be clear. You'll probably want to keep this demonstration for several years so it will be necessary to clean the bone. There are several other ways to clean the bone but the simplest is just to boil it and then dip it into a dilute bleach solution to remove any discolorations.

Here's a website developed by an expert on bone cleaning

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