The blood supply of developing long bones with special reference to the metaphyses.

Humphry (1858) described a dual blood supply to any long bone, periosteal vessels supplying the compact bone and the nutrient artery supplying the marrow. Weinmann and Sicher (1947) pointed out that the nutrient artery also supplied the central part of the metaphysis, its more peripheral parts being supplied by metaphysial arteries derived from the periosteum. Trueta and Harrison (1953) believed that in the adult human femur the nutrient artery did not reach the metaphysial region, which was wholly supplied by metaphysial arteries. Weinmann and Sicher described the vessels approaching the epiphysial cartilaginous plate, and invading the cartilage, as long hairpin-shaped loops, while Stump (1925) described the opening up of the dilated cartilage lacunae by the activity ofsyncytial masses of mesenchymal tissue. The peripheral parts of the syncytial masses were said to form osteoblasts applied to the trabeculae, while cavitation, with the formation of lumina, in the centre of the masses produced the extension of blood vessels in the progressively invading tissue. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent of supply of the periosteal vessels and the nutrient arteries in developing long bones and to study the form of those vessels of the metaphyses approaching and invading the epiphysial cartilage plate.