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Avian Medullary Bone

Nature volume 172, pages 504–505 (1953)Cite this article

Abstract

SINCE the report by Kyes and Potter1 that the marrow cavities of the tibia and femora of female pigeons become filled with endosteal bone during the laying cycle, this phenomenon has been the subject of intensive study in the sparrow2, duck3 and domestic fowl4,5, as well as in the pigeon6,7. This highly labile medullary bone appears to serve as a readily available store of calcium for the calcification of the egg shell. It has been studied almost exclusively in the long bones of the legs, though Zondek8 found it also in the vertebral column of young cockerels after treatment with œstrogen.

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References

  1. Kyes, P., and Potter, T. S., Anat. Rec., 60, 377 (1934).

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  2. Pfeiffer, C. A., Kirschbaum, A., and Gardner, W. U., Yale J. Biol. Med., 13, 279 (Biol. Abst., 15, 699 (1941)).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University, Reading,

    T. G. TAYLOR & J. H. MOORE

Authors
  1. T. G. TAYLOR
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  2. J. H. MOORE
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TAYLOR, T., MOORE, J. Avian Medullary Bone. Nature 172, 504–505 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/172504a0

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