Haversian System (Osteon)
Definition
Cylindrical structural unit of compact bone with a central Haversian canal, concentric lamellae and osteocytes in lacunae; pattern and canal density differ between human and animal bone.
- Location
- Compact (cortical) bone, human and animal long bones
- Structure
- Central canal, concentric lamellae, osteocytes in lacunae
- Canal content
- Blood vessels and nerves
- Forensic use
- Human vs animal bone differentiation
Common questions
How does osteon shape help distinguish human from animal bone?+
Human osteons are round and irregularly scattered with variable density, while many non-primate mammals such as deer and cattle show plexiform bone with a brick-like, layered pattern instead of true circular osteons, examined in thin section under polarised light.
What can go wrong when identifying osteons in degraded bone?+
Diagenesis, weathering and fungal or bacterial tunnelling can erode canal margins and obscure lamellar boundaries, so a worn cross-section may resemble either species pattern and needs multiple fields of view before a call is made.
Related terms
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- Forensic Anthropology
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- Glabella
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- Gustafson Method
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- Mastoid Process
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- Regression Formula
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- Sciatic Notch (Greater)
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- Sexual Dimorphism
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- The angle at the inferior apex of the pubic arch where the two inferior pubic rami meet. Acute (below 90 degrees) in...
- Trotter and Gleser Formulae
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