Do you know how many bones there are in the human body?
Some people are larger than others, but all of us have the same kind of skeleton, which is made up of 206 bones that do many different jobs.
Their first job is simply to hold us together and give us our framework. Without a skeleton, man would be just one large, jellyfish-like blob.
Another important purpose of bones is to protect the soft organs and tissues deep inside our bodies. Almost all of the 28 bones in the head or skull, for example, are there to protect the brain. They are called the cranium, and never move.
The one bone in our skulls which does move is the lower jaw or mandible. If it didn't, we would not be able to speak or eat!
Most bones must move as well as protect. Our 24 ribs can move in and out so that the lungs they surround can expand when we breathe.
The most important "bone" in the body is the spine. The spine is actually made up of a number of hollow tubes called vertebrae. If your spine or "backbone" really were only one long bone, you would be much like a statue. You would never be able to bend your body or move your head.
A child has 33 vertebrae in his spine, but as he gets older, some of these vertebrae grow together. An adult has only 26 bones in his spine.
Bones are long-lasting as well as useful. They are very strong and durable but if you fall or have an accident, they can break. But our amazing body can help the broken bone to heal itself within a few weeks.
Inside most bones there is a spongy marrow. Where fat is stored, it is yellowish in color, but in the parts of many bones, the marrow is reddish. This is because blood is made there by still another job done by our bones.
God created our skeleton and body to be the most amazing living creature on Earth!
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