The main bones of the human skeleton are:

 The Skull - Cranium, Mandible, and Maxilla

 Shoulder girdle - clavicle and scapula
 Arm - humerus, radius, and ulna
 Hand - Carpals, Metacarpals, and Phalanges
 Chest - Sternum, and Ribs
 Spine - Cervical area (top 7 vertebrae), Thoracic (next 12), Lumbar (bottom 5
vertebrae), Sacrum (5 fused or stuck together bones) and Coccyx (the tiny bit at the
bottom of the spine).
 Pelvic girdle - Ilium, Pubis, and Ischium.
 Leg - Femur, Tibia, and Fibula
 Ankle - Talus and calcaneus (not shown above)
 Foot - Tarsals, Metatarsals, and Phalanges.

Cranial and Facial Bones (22): Hand Bones (54):

 frontal bone  Carpal (wrist) bones:
 parietal bone (2)  scaphoid bone (2)
 temporal bone (2)  lunate bone (2)
 occipital bone  triquetral bone (2)
 sphenoid bone  pisiform bone (2)
 ethmoid bone  trapezium (2)
 mandible  trapezoid bone (2)
 maxilla (2)  capitate bone (2)
 palatine bone (2)  hamate bone (2)
 zygomatic bone (2)  Metacarpus (palm) bones:
 nasal bone (2)  metacarpal bones (5 × 2)
 lacrimal bone (2)  Digits of the hands (finger bones or phalanges):
 vomer  proximal phalanges (5 × 2)
 inferior nasal conchae (2)  intermediate phalanges (4 × 2)
Ear Bones (6):  distal phalanges (5 × 2)
 malleus (2) Pelvic Bones (2):
 incus (2)  hip bone (innominate bone or coxal bone) (2)
 stapes (2) Leg Bones (8):
Throat Bone (1):  femur (2)
 hyoid bone  patella (2)
Shoulder Bones (4):  tibia (2)
 scapula or shoulder blade (2)  fibula (2)
 clavicle or collarbone (2) Foot Bones (52):
Chest Bones (25):  Tarsal (ankle) bones:
 sternum (1)  calcaneus (heel bone) (2)
 ribs (2 x 12)  talus (2)
 navicular bone (2)
Vertebral Bones (26):  medial cuneiform bone (2)
 cervical vertebrae (7)  intermediate cuneiform bone (2)
 thoracic vertebrae (12)  lateral cuneiform bone (2)
 lumbar vertebrae (5)  cuboid bone (2)
 sacral vertebrae (1)  Metatarsus bones:
 coccygeal vertebrae (1)  metatarsal bone (5 × 2)
 Arm and Forearm Bones (6):  Digits of the feet (toe bones or phalanges):
 Humerus (2)  proximal phalanges (5 × 2)
 radius (2)  intermediate phalanges (4 × 2)
 ulna (2)  distal phalanges (5 × 2)

A B
cranium skull
sternum breastbone
clavicle connects humerus to sternum
scapula shoulder blade
humerus part of the elbow joint & shoulder joint
radius forearm- thumb side
ulna forearm- pinky side
vertebrae backbone
pelvis supports the vertebral column & is part of
a ball & socket joint with the femur
phalanges fingers
femur thigh
patella knee cap
fibula outer bone of the lower leg
tibia larger bone of the lower leg
coccyx tail bone
phalanges toes
carpals wrist
metacarpals hand
tarsals ankle
metatarsals foot
What exactly is blood?

Blood is a special fluid that is actually a connective tissue. We can call it a transport liquid which is
pumped by the heart to different parts of the body, after which it comes back again to the heart. This
is a process that happens continuously in your body, till your heart beats. The cells of the body are
highly susceptible and they need a constant supply of blood. If its flow stops, death can occur within
minutes.

It consists of the following components:

 Plasma ( fluid matrix)

 Blood cells
The complex working of blood
In humans, the role of blood is very significant and it has a very complex working structure. Its
circulation helps in maintaining its constancy in the composition. Circulation is a process through
which blood travels all around the body, to different organs through specialized blood vessels.

At any given time, depending on the organ from which blood is moving in or moving out, it’s
configuration changes. Of course, the basic components remain same. But the content of the plasma
changes. When blood travels to the lungs, it takes in oxygen and gives out carbon dioxide that is got
from the tissues. In the intestines, food gets into the bloodstream, after absorption, which then is
transported to other cells in different parts of the body. Even the waste products are transported to
the eliminating organs through blood. The plasma also carries the chemical messengers, the
hormones to the target organs.

There is a fair bit of recycling also that happens. Take, for example, the iron that is released due to
the destruction of old RBC’s is taken back to the sites of new RBC production and used once again.
At any given time, there should be an appropriate level of concentration of the different
components. There is a very effective regulatory mechanism that ensures that this happens.

Main Components of Blood

Plasma
It is a clear, slightly sticky, yellowish coloured liquid that contains the dissolved proteins, mineral
ions, glucose, hormones, carbon dioxide, including the blood cells. Around 90% of the plasma is
made up of water and around 6 % of it constitutes the proteins. Albumin is the main protein in the
plasma, which regulates the osmotic blood pressure. 55% of the blood fluid is made up of plasma.

Blood Cells
These constitute the other half, around 45%. There are three types of cells, namely:
  Erythrocytes or Red Blood cells ( RBC)

 Leucocytes or White Blood Cells ( WBC)

 Thrombocytes or Platelets
Erythrocytes – They form around 40%-45% of its volume. They are generated from the bone
marrow at an astonishing rate of four to five billion cells per hour. The lifespan of these cells is 120
days. The RBCs are destroyed in the organ called spleen, which is also called as the graveyard of
RBC. These cells are red in colour, due to the presence of haemoglobin, which is an iron-containing
complex protein.

Leucocytes – They account for 1 % of the total volume, but have a very important role to play. They
help in fighting diseases and attack the foreign bodies in the blood. These cells are colourless as
they do not have haemoglobin. They are also constantly generated from the bone marrow.

Thrombocytes – These are cell fragments that are produced from the specialized cells of the bone
marrow. Their role is very significant. They are responsible for controlling bleeding or in clotting of
blood.

Fast Facts

 It is a fluid connective tissue.

 It has two main components – The fluid Plasma and the blood cells.

 RBCs – Number ranges between four million and six million per cubic millimetre.

 WBCs – Number ranges between 4,500 and 11,000 per cubic millimetre.

 Platelets – 150,000 to 400,000 per cubic millimetre.

 The spleen is the graveyard of RBCs.

 It is red in colour due to the presence of haemoglobin.

 RBCs are without a nucleus and are biconcave in shape.

 WBCs are nucleated.

 Plasma is 90% water and has around 6 % of proteins.

 The lifespan of RBCs is 120 days.

Solved Question For you

Q: What are the major components of blood?

Ans: Blood is made up of two main components – Plasma and Blood cells. Plasma is a straw-
coloured viscous fluid which is 90% water and has many proteins in it. It also has mineral ions,
glucose, hormones, carbon dioxide. It makes up for 55 % of the blood. The other 55% of it is made
up blood cells. These cells are of three types: Erythrocytes (RBC), Leucocytes (WBC) and
Thrombocytes.

Q: Write a few lines on leucocytes.

Ans: Leucocytes are also called WBC’s. They are devoid of any colour and do not have
haemoglobin. They are nucleated cells. Even though they account for only 1% of the volume, they
have a very important role to play in being healthy and fighting diseases. There are two main types
of WBCs – Agranulocytes and granulocytes. Neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils are the
different types of granulocytes. Lymphocytes and monocytes are agranulocytes.