Functions of the Skeleton

 FUNCTIONS OF THE SKELETON 

1.           Provides a framework that supports the body; the muscles that are attached to bones move the skeleton.

 

2.           Protects some internal organs from mechanical injury; the rib cage protects the heart and lungs, for example.

 

3.           Contains and protects the red bone marrow, the primary hemopoietic (blood-forming) tissue.

 

4.           Provides a storage site for excess calcium. Calcium may be removed from bone to maintain a normal blood calcium level, which is essential for blood clotting and proper functioning of muscles and nerves.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Organization and General Plan of the Body

Image
  Organization and General Plan of the Body T he human body is a precisely structured container   of chemical reactions. Have you ever thought of your-self in this way? Probably not, and yet, in the strictly physical sense, that is what each of us is. The body consists of trillions of atoms in specific arrangements and thousands of chemical reactions proceeding in a very orderly manner. That literally describes us, and yet it is clearly not the whole story. The keys to understanding human consciousness and self-awareness are still beyond our grasp. We do not yet know what enables us to study ourselves—no other animals do, as far as we know—but we have accumu-lated a great deal of knowledge about what we are made of and how it all works. Some of this knowledge makes up the course you are about to take, a course in basic human anatomy and physiology. Anatomy  is the study of body structure, which   includes size, shape, composition, and perhaps even coloration.  P...
Read more

Gallbladder - Anatomy and Physiology

Image
  GALLBLADDER   The  gallbladder  is a sac about 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) long located on the undersurface of the right lobe of the liver. Bile in the hepatic duct of the liver flows through the  cystic duct  into the gallbladder (see Fig. 16–6), which stores bile until it is needed in the small intestine. The gallbladder also concentrates bile by absorbing water.   When fatty foods enter the duodenum, the enteroendocrine cells of the duodenal mucosa secrete the hormone  cholecystokinin . This hormone stimu-lates contraction of the smooth muscle in the wall of the gallbladder, which forces bile into the cystic duct, then into the common bile duct, and on into the duo-denum.
Read more

Aging and the Lymphatic System

  AGING AND THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM   The aging of the lymphatic system is apparent in the decreased efficiency of immune responses. Elderly people are more likely than younger ones to develop shingles, when an aging immune system cannot keep the chickenpox virus dormant. They are also more susceptible to infections such as influenza and to what are called secondary infections, such as pneumonia following a case of the flu. Vaccines for both of these are available, and elderly people should be encouraged to get them. Elderly people should also be sure to get a tetanus-diphtheria booster every 10 years.   Autoimmune disorders are also more common among older people; the immune system mistakenly perceives a body tissue as foreign and initiates its des-truction. Rheumatoid arthritis and myasthenia gravis are examples of autoimmune diseases. The incidence of cancer is also higher. Malignant cells that once might have been quickly destroyed remain alive and proliferate.
Read more