Think About Your Bones

HAVE you given thought to what a masterpiece the bones within your body are? They reflect the design and handiwork of the Creator himself. One of the world’s most eminent bio-engineers, Dr. John Lenihan, in discussing the requirements that are needed for bones in the human body, recently said:

“The bones, which are the basic elements in the skeleton, must be rigid but not too rigid, since it is better for them to yield to a certain extent under stress than to break. The forces likely to act on a bone, or on any structural material, are of two main kinds, compression and tension. Carry a heavy suitcase and the bones of the arm are put under tension. Jump down stairs and the bones of the leg are put under compression.”

But how about your bones? Do they meet the requirements? Dr. Lenihan continued:

“Some materials, such as stone, are strong in compression but weak in tension. Wood, on the other hand, is strong in tension but weak in compression, particularly when the force is applied in the direction of the grain. It is of course possible to find materials such as steel which are quite strong both in compression and in tension​—but the specification for bone is more exacting, because it has to be very light; the two hundred-odd bones in the skeleton have a total weight of only about 20 lbs. The combination of lightness and strength is achieved in the skeleton by methods which engineers are only now beginning to appreciate and to imitate.”

Is that all that there is to be said for your bones? No; much more can be appreciated about their unique design and abilities. Dr. Lenihan added: “Another important requirement for bone is that it must maintain its function while growing. When a pair of shoes become too small we throw them away and buy another pair. The bones of the foot are, however, growing steadily for eighteen or twenty years and doing their normal work throughout this time.”

That is not all. “Thirdly a bone must be self-healing. If a shaft in an engine breaks, we replace it and fit a new one. But if a bone breaks we expect it to mend itself and, after a while, to be as good as new. Finally, the bones must be able to articulate, that is, to fit freely one against another so that force and power may be transmitted. The joints where bones come together must be self-lubricating.”

After describing the necessary specification for our internal structural system, Dr. Lenihan concluded: “The material which answers to this difficult specification is made in a way which no engineer, chemist or materials scientist would ever have invented.” But God did. He gave us bones.​—Job 10:11.