We can feel, in every part of our body, portions of the hard, solid framework on which the body is built. This strong framework is called the skeleton, and consists of upwards of two hundred distinct and separate bones of various shapes and sizes, intended to give strength and solidity, and to support the softer fleshy parts. If you call to mind the various skeletons of animals you have seen, you will at once understand that in every animal it is the skeleton which determines the shape of the body. The skeleton itself suggests at a glance the well-known shape of the individual animal.
Let us examine our own skeleton, and see how it is made. We will commence with the head, which comprises two parts-the skull and the face.