How many bones does the average adult have. How many bones are in the human body

How many bones does a person have? Strange as it may seem at first glance, it is for a long time doctors (anatomists) could not agree on their number. It would seem, what is easier: to take and calculate on any skeleton. However, it is necessary to add not mechanically, but having certain information, the appearance of which was sometimes significantly delayed compared to the ability to perform arithmetic calculations. Here are examples of this diversity. 360 bones - this number was called by the followers of Zhud-Shi - the medical science of Tibet. By the way, the number of degrees of a circle is the same. It was thought like this: one degree - one bone; 306 - 300 bones - in the books of the ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta, as well as according to the views of the ancient Chinese; 295 - indicated in one of the apocrypha of the XI century; 248 - considered the Syrian scientist of the XII century Abusaid, who lived in Armenia. This is the same number of bones and according to the ideas of the ancient Jews. Each of the mentioned numbers in sum - 248 and 365 - equals 14, and this was regarded as twice 7, twice sacred, twice obligatory. (True, in the code of the medieval philosopher Maimonides there is also an indication of 252 bones.) According to the views of the ancient Scandinavians, as well as the statement of Arnold of Villanova in the famous Salerno Code of Health, 219 bones exist in a person. (By the way, the southern Italian city of Salerno at the beginning of the 16th century was by no means a backwater, but the place where the first Western Europe since the 11th century a medical institution.) All this inconsistency should be explained, of course, not by changes in the skeleton as generations change, but by the fact that, for example, teeth were also attributed to bones. (However, there is only a purely external similarity in hardness, and not in structure. By their origin, the teeth are closer to the scales that cover the skin of our distant relatives, like shark fish. It is appropriate to recall that Aristotle also contributed to the confusion with numbers, confident in the fact that men have more teeth than women.) Elements of organs that have a cartilaginous basis, for example, the larynx, were also classified as bones, and simply hard tissues- nails. The Tibetans, on the other hand, considered teeth and nails to be "sediments of bones." There was also an elementary ignorance of anatomy, in particular, of the small bones of the skull. So there are countless reasons for the quantitative increase in bone tissue. In addition, the number of bones in different people not only before, but even now it really varies. This is due to individual variability, as well as the presence or absence of small seeds, the so-called sesamoid (resembling sesame seeds). The largest and most permanent of the sesamoid bones is the patella (the "patella" known to all). It should also be mentioned that we have an unequal number of coccygeal vertebrae, the so-called "intercalary" vertebrae are varied and unstable - small bones in the sutures of the skull. Much less common are the so-called supernumerary ribs - on the neck and in lumbar region. Their presence is connected with the embryonic segmentation of our body, when the embryo has ribs in the caudal, cervical, and lumbar regions. But over time, they are stored only where there is lung tissue, as well as contracting highly differentiated respiratory muscles. There are also "extra" (that is, in excess of the usual) vertebrae, which most often occurs in the lumbar region. You can name other, less serious reasons. In those days when autopsies were forbidden, the ancient Chinese men had no doubt that they had twelve pairs of ribs, and women had fourteen. " articular bones"A child or a young subject, when the fusion of the ends and the body of the tubular bones has not yet occurred (in youth), also caused discrepancies. Gradually, they clarified that lower jaw a person is a paired bone only in newborns, and by the end of the first year of life it becomes the only one. It turned out that in the human heart, unlike some animals, there are no bones at all, but those that are sometimes found in it or in the pericardial sac hard formations is the result of callosity resulting from inflammation. So how many bones are there really? In modern textbooks, sometimes they indicate vaguely - more than 200 or 208. Concreteness in this case fraught with loss of credibility. Could there be fewer bones? Maybe. I found very rare photo a woman who is congenitally missing both collarbones. But this is by no means evidence that some new kind of man will appear in time; the absence of collarbones is a clear manifestation of chance, an exception that the rule does not confirm. In humans, in contrast to horizontally oriented distant ancestors, the head presses with its weight on spinal column. This, like a number of other factors, determined its shape in the form latin letter S, which allows us to successfully absorb shocks. A certain load falls on each element of the spinal column. Its largest value falls on the lumbar region. We, very atypical vertebrates due to verticality, would have had a very hard time if evolution had not taken care of the presence of special cartilaginous discs-spacers between the vertebral bodies. They not only partially absorb the resulting loads, but also connect and hold adjacent vertebral bodies. The spinal column includes 122 true joints, 26 cartilaginous joints and 365 ligaments. And in order to compress all this complexity, you need to apply a load of 700 to 2000 kg! ancient greek philosopher and the scientist Aristotle regarded the spine as the beginning of all bones, just as the heart is the beginning of all vessels (actually not so, but more on that later). 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar - these 24 vertebrae are "free". The rest are fused with each other and form the sacrum (of 5 vertebrae) and the coccyx (of 3-5). Most often in the amount of 33. Most upper section spine - cervical vertebrae. A giraffe has 7 of them, and the same number - in a person (!). The first of the vertebrae, the joint associated with occipital bone is called an atlas. The term is not accidental, because in the nominative case Atlas (Greek), and in the genitive case Atlas is a sea giant holding the Earth and Sky on itself. This name got into the anatomy of the so-called indestructible braids, most likely as a poetic whim introduced in the Middle Ages by the famous anatomist A. Vesalius. Before him, this vertebra was called "first" (Galen), "higher" (Homer; do not be surprised at the appearance in the book on the structure of our body of the name of the legendary ancient Greek poet. He introduced many names into our science). Current anatomists translate the Greek atlas as "bearing". Second cervical vertebra(figuratively called sometimes "gate", and in Greek epistrophe - return, wrapping) such anatomical feature, as the presence of an odontoid process on its upper surface. A. Vesalius saw him in the form of a protruding turtle's head. It is through the profile axis of the odontoid process that the head turns, which are so important in our life, occur. The remaining vertebrae do not have such pronounced differences, although anatomically from top to bottom, each subsequent one is some modification of the previous one. Just a few words about lumbar vertebrae. They are the largest, which to some extent was reflected in the ideas about their role. There are attempts to prove that this is where the accumulations of blood vessels are located, nerve fibers, which are "ascending stages of the impact of physical and mental processes life activity of the organism", their merging and penetration into each other. They are also declared to be "fine-material objects", "parapsychic constructs", cognizable only by those who improve in yoga. Western medicine in physical reality they are most often denied. The sacrum in Latin is called os sacrum, which in anatomy was called "wide", "voluminous", as well as "sacrum", is also considered as sacred object, priesthood. Both the sacrum itself and the coccyx following below are pierced with ten holes. This bone in humans transmits the heaviness of the entire torso, head and upper limbs. Pressing forces from above tend to turn forward the base of this bone, inserted like a wedge between the innominate (iliac) bones of the pelvis. This forms an arch that rests on the heads of the femurs. At the same time, the sacrum acts as a kind of “key” narrowed down and forward. The shape does not allow the sacrum to rush down. The "key" of the arch - in this case the sacrum, in particular its three upper fused vertebrae - distributes the weight of the upper part of the structure (and this is the corresponding part of the body and all internal organs) to other structural elements. The vertebral column ends with the coccyx. Usually these are 3-5 ossified, that is, soldered to each other, vertebrae. The sternum, together with the first pair of ribs, was called "pectoral key", "latch". This kind of anatomical connection was equated to a cross. The bone itself is more often compared in appearance with a short Roman sword, therefore, today the handle, body (body) and tip (it is also " xiphoid process"). In Latin, the bone is called sternum, from the Greek "hard", "dense". The name "collarbone" is very telling. It only with great stretch resembles a key, rather a latch, a valve: from behind it comes to the shoulder blade, from the front - to By the way, one of the meanings of the old Russian verb "key", and this is clearly long before the appearance of the corresponding iron products, means "lock". But in some vertebrates, the clavicle is underdeveloped. The best way make sure of this - take your loved one domestic cat and bring it down shoulder joints to each other. We can't "come together" like that - the clavicles are in the way. By 1949, 50 cases of missing clavicles in humans had been described. And in such people it was possible to bring the shoulder joints together until they were in full contact. In Russian folklore etymology, the month known to give birth to the moon is called "Adam's rib". Each of us (on each side) has twelve ribs. The seven upper ones from the front approach the sternum - therefore they are called "true", "legitimate"; the next three are also connected to each other in front with the help of a cartilaginous arch - they are designated as "false". So, as they believed in antiquity, they are not real, "illegal", like a child, adopted not from his wife, but from a concubine. The two smallest and last are immured in the muscles - "oscillating". All ribs are needed to protect the chest. Ancient physicians, at a time when the study of bones was a problem and often prohibited altogether, assumed that men on the left side had not 12, but 11 ribs. We attribute the shoulder blade to the so-called flat bones. It is called upon, as similar in design pelvic bones, protect the cavity. In this case, chest. ti - the scaphoid bones present on the hand and foot - got their name because for a long time it was believed that they did not decompose for a long time. Views on bone tissue, previously regarded as passive, gradually changed, and now no one doubts its participation in metabolic processes. Of course, they are more active in young people than in older ones. It turned out that up to about 70 percent of the "dry weight" of the bones falls on minerals. Bones are truly "depot" of mineral salts. They contain up to 98 percent inorganic substances body: calcium - 99 percent (about 1200 g), phosphorus - 87 percent (530 g), magnesium - 58 percent (11 g). These are the main ones, but there are also about 30 trace elements. Among them: copper, strontium, zinc, beryllium, aluminum, barium, silicon, fluorine and others. Bones also contain water, and children have more of it than adults. Named above chemical elements, as well as iron, provide strength to the bones of humans and mammals. See more..

The totality of all human bones is called the skeleton, which is the main part of the musculoskeletal system of the body. In this article, we will tell you what kind of tissue bones are formed, indicate their number, analyze the varieties by department, and denote the functions of the musculoskeletal system.

general characteristics

The number of bones in the human skeleton depends on age. So, for example, in an adult there are about 206 of them, and in a child - 270. This difference is due to the fact that some bones of the human skeleton grow together over time (skull, spine, pelvis). In the body, the main part is made up of paired bones, unpaired only 33.
If we talk about the number of departments, then:

• the skull consists of 23 bones;
• spine - about 33;
• thoracic - 25;
• upper limbs - 64;
• lower limbs - 62.

Rice. 1. List of bones.

Each bone organ is made up of:

• bone tissue;
• periosteum;
• connecting layer (endoste);
• articular cartilage;
• nerves;
• blood vessels.

Rice. 2. The structure of the bone.

AT chemical composition are included mineral salts- 45% (calcium, sodium, potassium, etc.); 25% - water; thirty% - organic compounds. Besides this body is the receptacle of the bone marrow, which performs the hematopoietic function.

The bones of the human skeleton serve as a support for soft tissues, contain and protect internal organs, and participate in metabolic processes. They are formed from bone tissue, which comes from the mesenchyme, and cartilage tissue.

The word "skeleton" is of ancient Greek origin and is translated as "dried". This is due to the way it is obtained - drying on hot sand or the sun.

Classification

According to their structure and shape, bones are:

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• long (shoulder, femur) - serve for fastening muscular system limbs, act as levers;
• short;
• flat (skull, sternum, ribs, shoulder blades, pelvis) - are the basis of some muscles, protect internal organs;
• air (skull, face) - consist of air cells and sinuses.

Rice. 3. Varieties of bone organs.

Six do not belong to the skeleton auditory ossicles(three on both sides). They are connected only to each other and transmit sound from eardrum to the inner ear.

Functions

The musculoskeletal system performs biological and mechanical functions.

The biological ones are:

• blood-forming - provides the formation of new blood cells;
• metabolic processes - salt metabolism(the skeleton contains salts of calcium, phosphorus).

The mechanical function is:

• support - maintaining the body, attaching muscles, internal organs;
• movement - movable joints provide the work of the bone, as a lever, which is set in motion with the help of muscles;
• protection of internal organs;
• shock absorption - structural features soften and reduce shaking when moving the body.

Introduction

As you know, bones and cartilage form our skeleton. This is no secret to anyone. But questions about how many bones a person has and what are their features often plunge many into a stupor. Today I will give answers to them.

How many bones does a person have?

This is one of the first questions that arise when studying the human skeleton. And no one knows the exact answer. AT different times they called different numbers - sometimes 300, sometimes 360. Now there is an opinion among experts that there are 206 bones in the body of an adult. It is an adult, because in children infancy there are about 300 cartilages, the ossification of which ends at 20-25 years. Therefore, the answer to the question of how many bones a person has directly depends on the number of years he has lived.

What is the structure of human bones?

Bones are long (tubular), short and wide (or flat). Long bones have a cavity inside that is filled with yellow marrow. because of tubular structure such bones are light and strong. From above, the bone is covered by a thin connective tissue membrane, the periosteum, behind which the wall of the tubular bone itself is located. It consists of thick fabric, called compact matter. The main structural unit of the latter is the osteon, its structure includes bone plates in the amount of 5-20 pieces. In the center of the osteon there is a canal through which blood vessels.

At the ends of the tubular bones, the compact substance passes into a porous tissue - a spongy substance that forms the head of the bone. The bone plates of spongy substance are located in those directions in which the bones are subjected to the greatest stretching or compression. Between the scales of the spongy substance is red bone marrow. It consists of stem hematopoietic cells, from which all forms of blood cells begin to develop.

Short and wide bones consist mainly of spongy substance.

Bone joints

There are three types of bone connections:

1. Fixed (seam).
2. Semi-movable.
3. Movable (joint).

Movables are of three types:

• single axis;
• biaxial;
• triaxial.

Bones can be connected with cartilage. All of them make up musculoskeletal system organism.

The structure of the human skeleton

It's easier to tell with a table:

Functions

Bones play a lot important role in the formation of growth and posture. It doesn't matter how many bones a person has, what matters is their overall structure - the skeleton. After all, thanks to him we can move. The bones themselves play an important role in circulatory system because they contain red Bone marrow. Bones need to be protected - due to careless behavior, they often break.

Bone is a part of the human skeleton, consisting of several tissues. The most important of these is the bone marrow. Each bone contains inorganic and organic substances. In the young skeleton, the former predominate, so the bone cover is more flexible and soft. In old people, the bones, having lost a significant proportion minerals become brittle and break easily.

The number of bones in the human skeleton depends on its individual features and may differ.

This is due to the fusion of several bones into a single whole, the absence of some small ones or the presence of additional ones.

Skeleton Functions

Serves as a support for the human body, determining its shape. Muscles are attached to it, which contract and give mobility. Today, scientists know that bones are living structures, constantly renewing, rebuilding, and having blood vessels and a brain. From this understanding comes that the functional significance of the skeleton is much broader than previously thought, namely:

In the body of an adult, mature person, there are 206 bones. Someone has a little less, someone has a little more, but this amount can be considered the norm. 33-34 of them are paired. The bones of the skeleton are formed from two types of tissues: cartilage and bone. Except cell structure, allocate intercellular substance.

The ratio of the mass of the skeleton of an adult to total mass body is about 20%, however, with age, the figure gradually decreases.

In a newborn child, the number of bones is determined in different ways. Some doctors believe that there are 300 of them, others - from 270 to 350. The bones in babies are very small, and it is important to determine what size to count them from. And this is the whole question. Newborns have different weights, and a premature baby may have bones that are smaller than the minimum size.

The fetus of a child has a rudimentary tail for several weeks, which consists of separate bones. They later coalesce and form a coccyx.

The baby's bones are soft and flexible, otherwise he could not be born. During the intrauterine period, the cartilaginous skeleton of the fetus gradually becomes bone. This process continues after birth for several years.

The bones of the child's skull are not fused. Between them are fontanelles, which consist of connective tissue. bone tissue they are overgrown by about two years. The vertebrae of the sacrum are completely fused into a single single bone only by the age of 25.

Conventionally, the skeleton can be divided into four parts: torso, head, belt of lower and upper limbs. Let's consider each department in detail.

Scull

The human skull has 25 bones: 17 of the facial region and 8 of the brain. Facials include:

Brain:

• parietal - 2;
• frontal;
• wedge-shaped;
• occipital;
• temporal - 2;
• lattice.

Lower and upper limbs

The human upper limbs consist of the following bones:

The structure of the lower limbs, as well as the upper ones, are divided into:

1. Waist department:

• pelvic;
• iliac;
• ischial;
• pubic.

2. Free part:

• patella and femur;
• fibula and tibia.

3. Tarsus:

• foot;
• ram;
• heel;
• medial wedge-shaped;
• scaphoid;
• intermediate wedge-shaped;
• lateral;
• cuboid.

4. Metatarsus.

5. Fingers:

• middle phalanges;
• proximal;
• distal.

torso

The human torso consists of the chest and spine. In its turn, The spine has five sections:

• cervical;
• lumbar;
• coccyx;
• chest;
• sacral.

AT cervical region 7 vertebrae, in the chest - 12. Lumbar consists of 5 vertebrae.

Thoracic The spine is made up of 37 bones, including 24 ribs and the sternum.

Many people are interested in how many bones are in the human body. Let's try to answer this question.

The human musculoskeletal system consists not only of the skeleton, but also of muscles. With its help, a person performs various movements, and it also serves as protection for internal organs from various damage. The shape of the human body is determined by the skeleton. There are about 210 bones in the body.

There are several types of bones in the human skeleton. I would like to take a closer look at how many bones are in the human body, and what they are. There are the following types:

1. Long bones: humerus, forearm, femur and lower leg.

3. Flat: bones of the skull and scapula.

The top of the bone is covered with a dense sheath called the periosteum. Due to it, the growth of bones, their nutrition, as well as fusion in fractures occurs. Thanks to the periosteum, the bones grow in width, and in length they grow due to the division of cartilage cells, which are located between the body of the bone and its ends.

In general, the skeleton consists of the skull, the skeleton of the lower and upper limbs and the trunk.

Let's take a closer look at how many bones are in human body is in each of the components. The skull consists of the facial and cerebral sections. belongs to the brain cranium, which serves to protect the brain from various damage. AT brain department includes: frontal, occipital, 2 parietal and 2 temporal bones. To facial department include various small and large bones (nasal and lower and upper jaw). They are fixedly connected to each other, except for the lower jaw.

Now consider how many bones in the human body belong to the skeleton of the body. It is formed by the spine and rib cage. The spine consists of 4-5 coccygeal, 5 sacral and lumbar, 12 thoracic and 7. Due to this, the spine is divided into 5 sections, which have the same name as the vertebrae that they include.

The rib cage, which serves as protection for the lungs and heart from damage, consists of 12 ribs and the sternum.

The structure of the upper limbs includes three sections: hand, forearm and shoulder. The shoulder is formed by a long humerus, forearm - elbow and radius bones, and the brush consists of small bones. The arms are attached to the body with the help of the clavicles and shoulder blades, which form

lower limbs include feet, legs and thighs. The thigh is made up of femur, which is the largest in the whole body. The lower leg is made up of 2 tibia bones, and the foot is made up of several small bones, the largest of which is the calcaneus. The lower limbs are attached to the body by

Despite the data given in the article, it is still impossible to unambiguously say how many bones are in the human skeleton. For example, a newborn has much more of them than an adult, since small bones grow together into large ones already in the process of the child's growth.

Therefore, there is no specific figure reflecting how many bones in the human body. Someone indicates the number 200, someone 220.