Haversian Canal
Definition
The central vascular channel of an osteon, carrying blood vessels and nerves through the cortical bone. Diameter 20-70 µm in human bone. Visible in thin-section histology; its population density and surrounding lamellar pattern are used for human-vs-non-human discrimination and histological age estimation.
- Location
- Centre of an osteon in cortical bone
- Contents
- Blood vessels and nerves
- Diameter
- 20 to 70 micrometres in human bone
- Observation method
- Thin-section histology
- Forensic use
- Human vs non-human discrimination, age estimation
Common questions
How does haversian canal density help estimate age from bone?+
Bone continually remodels throughout life, replacing older osteons with new ones, so the density and pattern of secondary osteons and their canals increases with age in a way that can be measured microscopically against reference standards.
What makes haversian canal structure useful for distinguishing human from animal bone?+
Osteon size, canal diameter, and the regularity of the surrounding lamellar pattern differ systematically between species, so a histological cross-section can support species identification even from a small or fragmentary bone piece.
Does haversian canal analysis require the whole bone or just a fragment?+
Only a small thin-sectioned sample is needed, since the diagnostic features are visible at the microscopic level within a single cross-section, making the method useful even for fragmentary or burned skeletal remains.
Related terms
- Cortical Index
- The ratio of total cortical bone area to total bone cross-sectional area at a defined midshaft location. Used in fragment identification to...
- Fragment Identification
- The assignment of a bone fragment to a specific skeletal element (rib, long-bone shaft, vertebral arch, cranial vault, etc.) and anatomical region,...
- Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)
- The smallest number of distinct individuals required to account for all skeletal elements present in an assemblage. Determined by identifying the element...
- Neural Arch
- The posterior bony arch of a vertebra, formed by two pedicles and two laminae meeting at the spinous process. In foetal and...
- Osteon
- The basic structural unit of cortical bone: a set of concentric lamellae surrounding a central Haversian canal. Human secondary osteons are roughly...
- Owsley-Mann Protocol
- The fragment identification and triage methodology developed by Douglas Owsley (Smithsonian Institution) and Robert Mann (DPAA) for systematically assigning commingled bone fragments...
- Plexiform Bone
- A microstructural pattern found in the cortical bone of large rapid-growth mammals (bovids, horses, deer) characterised by alternating layers of woven bone...
- Side Determination
- The osteological process of assigning a paired skeletal element (clavicle, humerus, femur, rib, os coxae, etc.) to the left or right side...
- Species Confirmation (DNA)
- PCR-based or sequencing-based confirmation that a bone fragment is of human (Homo sapiens) origin, using human-specific primer sequences or mitochondrial cytochrome b...