BONE GROWTH IN THE RAT AS RELATED TO AGE AND BODY WEIGHT

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Abstract
Data are presented on the growth of the femur ash and matrix (cartilage plus osteoid) in relation to age and body wt. in over 1000 [male] and [female] rats (albinos of the Osborne-Mendel Sherman strain) from 2 to 750 days of age. Two methods of plotting the original data are presented which lead to straight lines, 1) when the bone data are considered in relation to age, and 2) when they are considered in relation to body weight. Owing to the tendency of individual normal rats of a given body wt. to have the same bony architecture irrespective of age, either bone constituent can be estimated from live wt. with twice the precision or half the error that would result in an estimate from age. Several other rat strains have the same pattern of bone growth: the Long-Evans strain specially bred rickets susceptible and rickets resistant strains, and probably the Yale strain. Addition of vit. D to D-free stock diet does not affect the results. [female][female] have heavier and better calcified bones for a given body wt. or matrix weight than [male][male]. Reproduction and lactation reduces the difference somewhat. Resting for as long as 185 days after lactation does not restore the ash to that characteristic of the unmated [female].
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