Anatomy A215 Virtual Microscopy
    Chapter 4: The Skeletal System
            
    		 

    The skeletal system provides a system of levers for movement and is the body’s supportive and protective framework; it is composed of bones and cartilage and the articulations joining these components.

    The axial skeleton is composed of the vertebral column, the ribs, the sternum, and the skull. The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of the limbs.

    		Cartilage is a specialized connective tissue. Its cells, called chondrocytes, reside in spaces called lacunae (singular: lacuna). We look at the cartilage rings of the TRACHEA for an example of hyaline cartilage.

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    		Bone is a specialized connective tissue with a great deal of rigidity and strength. This slide is of GROUND BONE and nicely shows the basic structure.

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    Bone cells are called osteocytes and each lives in a little space known as a lacuna, just like cartilage cells. This DECALCIFIED BONE section shows nicely the osteocytes and their association with one another.

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