osteology

Question 2

What is osteology?

Answer 2

The study of human bones

It involves recovering, analyzing, and interpreting human remains.

Question 3

List three applications of osteology.

Answer 3

• Historical/archaeological contexts
• Paleontological contexts
• Recent contexts (e.g., medico-legal investigations)

Question 4

What can we learn from osteological analyses?

Answer 4

• Biological evidence of our evolutionary past
• Aspects of health, disease, nutrition, migration
• Details of an individual (sex, age, height, etc.)
• How they lived (diet, lifestyle, injuries, diseases, etc.)
• How they died (natural causes, accident, suicide, murder, etc.)

Question 5

Define anatomical terminology.

Answer 5

Essential for visualizing, describing, and discussing anatomy in a consistent, precise, and unambiguous way.

Question 6

What are the standard anatomical positions?

Answer 6

• Standing straight, facing forward
• Feet parallel and toes forward
• Arms at sides with palms facing forward, thumbs towards the outside

Question 7

What is the sagittal plane?

Answer 7

Divides the body into right and left halves.

Question 8

What does the coronal or frontal plane divide?

Answer 8

Divides the body into front and rear halves.

Question 9

Fill in the blank: The _______ plane divides the body into upper and lower halves.

Answer 9

[transverse/horizontal plane]

Question 10

Define the term ‘proximal’.

Answer 10

Features that are nearer to the trunk of the body.

Question 11

What are the two types of movements that muscles can perform?

Answer 11

• Paired movements
• Unpaired movements

Question 12

What are the paired movements?

Answer 12

• Flexion and extension
• Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion
• Eversion and inversion
• Abduction and adduction
• Pronation and supination

Question 13

Define the term ‘circumduction’.

Answer 13

Circular or conical movement of a body part, usually at a ball and socket joint.

Question 14

What are the types of bones based on shape?

Answer 14

• Long bones
• Short bones
• Flat bones
• Irregular bones

Question 15

What is the function of the skeleton?

Answer 15

• Support structure for the body
• Movement and locomotion
• Protection of vital organs
• Blood cell production
• Storage of chemicals

Question 16

What are the two main divisions of the human skeleton?

Answer 16

• Axial skeleton
• Appendicular skeleton

Question 17

What is the composition of bone?

Answer 17

• Protein (collagen)
• Mineral (hydroxyapatite)

Question 18

Define osteogenic cells.

Answer 18

Progenitor/stem cells that develop into osteoblasts.

Question 19

What are osteoblasts responsible for?

Answer 19

Bone-forming cells that secrete osteoid protein to build new bone layer.

Question 20

True or False: Osteocytes are mature osteoblasts responsible for bone maintenance.

Answer 20

True

Question 21

Fill in the blank: The unmineralized, organic portion of the bone matrix is called _______.

Answer 21

[osteoid]

Question 22

What are the four cell types in bone tissue?

Answer 22

• Osteogenic cells
• Osteoblasts
• Osteocytes
• Osteoclasts

Question 23

What is lamellar bone characterized by?

Answer 23

Regular parallel alignment of collagen into sheets (lamellae) and is mechanically strong.

Question 24

What is the Haversian system?

Answer 24

The structural unit of compact bone.

Question 25

What are the types of joints based on mobility?

Answer 25

* Synovial (most mobile) * Cartilaginous * Fibrous (least mobile)

Question 26

What defines synovial joints?

Answer 26

Freely movable joints with bony surfaces covered in articular cartilage and filled with synovial fluid.

Question 27

What is the difference between primary and secondary osteons?

Answer 27

* Primary osteon: Composed of a vascular canal without a cement line * Secondary osteon: Cement line and lamellar bone organized around the central canal