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Growing Bone QUESTION: Dr. Teskey, If the coffin bone has no outer periosteum layer; how is bone produced if that layer is not there? I learned that bone is constantly replacing itself and it is the job of the periosteum to do this. What other tissue takes over this job if there is no periosteum? Also, how do you differentiate between "corium" and a layer that supplies blood to this tissue forming layer/corium?
Hi there, I haven't seen histological (microscopic) sections of coffin bone recently, but be aware that there is also an "internal periosteum" associated with most bones, called the "medullary membrane" which is a highly vascular layer of cells lining all of the intricate network that is the medullary cavity. It is active in bone production/remodeling, too. It would be interesting to follow the histological changes in such layers in the equine from fetus to adult...many changes would likely be taking place. I suspect Dr. Robert Bowker at Michigan State Universtiy knows quite a bit about this process. I think of corium as a dermis. What we call the "corium" covering the coffin bone is a layer of dermis which gives rise to an epidermis/cuticle which we call the hoof capsule. |