Page 72 - For Men of Understanding

i.e., if the interior of the bones was hard and full like its exterior, it would be
too heavy to be carried by a human and would easily break or crack at the
slightest blow due to its rigid and hard structure.
The perfect design of our bones helps us lead our lives very simply, man-
age to perform even very difficult tasks easily without pain. Another feature of
bone structure is its flexibility in certain parts of the body. Just as the rib-cage
protects the vital organs of the body such as the heart and lungs, it also
expands and contracts to let air move in and out of lungs.
The elasticity of bones may change over time. For instance, in women, the
hipbones are extended towards the last months of pregnancy and move apart
from each other. This is an extremely important detail, because during birth,
this extension allows the baby's head to come out of the mother’s womb with-
out being crushed.
The miraculous aspects of the bones are not limited to these. Besides their
flexibility, durability and lightness, the bones also have an ability to repair
themselves. When a bone is broken, one only has to keep this bone firm to

Food canal (for the
entry and exit of
blood vessels and
nerves in the bone
marrow)

Yellow bone
marrow
Hard external
Hard bone tissue
marrow
Canals for bone marrow and
capillary blood vessels
Porous tissue
Osteocyte
Lacunae
Small tunnels in which
Osteocyte is produced

This is the micrograph of the marvellous organisation
inside the longitudinal bones of the body. The bones,
which produce blood cells and function as the mineral
bank of the body, are living.

70 For Men of Understanding