ABSTRACT
From the histological descriptions, the two elements: organic and inorganic are combined in the make-up of all skeletal tissue. Individually, these elements have quite distinct mechanical properties and their combination makes skeletal tissues most impressive as structural materials. The form of structure is described, when the direction of stress is fairly predictable, since the high degree of orientation which makes the bone stronger in one direction inevitably makes it correspondingly weaker in others. The advantage of this anisotropic arrangement is that greater unit strengths can be achieved in directions normally subject to maximum loads than would be possible with a similar volume of isotropic material. The ratios of organic and mineral matter in skeletal bone are finely balanced to produce optimum mechanical performance. The mechanical properties of bone and antler provide not only a better understanding of their respective qualities but also a body of factual data through which objective comparisons of their performance can be made.
