messageds = new Array() messageds[0] = null; messageds[1] = "Mandible (lower
jawbone)

" messageds[2] = "Clavicle (collar-bone):

braces the shoulder joint
against the sternum." messageds[3] = "Sternum (breastbone)

" messageds[4] = "Humerus (upper-arm
bone)

" messageds[5] = "Lumbar vertebrae(lower
backbones):

support a lot of weight,
and so are large and strong." messageds[6] = "Femur (thigh-bone):

the longest bone in the body. " messageds[7] = "Fibula (calf-bone):

swivels around the tibia
when the foot twists." messageds[8] = "Tarsals (ankle bones)

" messageds[9] = "Tibia (shinbone):

the main bone of the lower
leg." messageds[10] = "Patella (kneecap):

stabilizes and protects the
knee." messageds[11] = "Pelvis (hip - bones):

cradles the bladder and
anchors the hips and legs." messageds[12] = "Radius (thumbside
forearm bone)

" messageds[13] = "Ulna (forearm bone)

" messageds[14] = "Ribs:

rise and fall when you
breathe and protect the heart
and lungs." messageds[15] = "Cervical vertebrae
(neck-bones):

have flexible joints for head
movement." messageds[16] = "Cranium (skull):

protects the brain and sense
organs." messageds[24] = "The Skeleton

If a baby has a fall, it is much
less likely to break the bones
of its skeleton than an adult.
This is partly because a
newborn baby's skeleton is
very different from the skeleton
of an adult. The newborn baby
has more than 300 parts that
we call bones, yet some of
these contain very little true
bone at all. They are made
mainly of the slightly softer,
more flexible cartilage
(gristle). In a fall, cartilage
bends rather than breaking.
During childhood, true bone
gradually replaces nearly all of
the cartilage. Some of the
separate bones fuse together,
as in the skull, reducing the
total number of parts. The
skeleton continues to get
larger and harder in the
teenage years. By the age of
20 to 25 years it has the final
number of 206 fully mature,
hardened bones."