INTRODUCTION

This is the third of six labs during which you will learn the bones of the human body.  This lab focuses on the bones of the pelvic girdle.  The pelvic girdle includes sacral vertebrae, coccygeal vertebrae, and os coxae or innominates.

One of the best ways to learn the bones is to draw them and label the features.  Using the lab workbook, textbook, and reference books available in the lab (e.g., White's Human Osteology and Bass' Human Osteology), you will draw and label the bones of the pelvic girdle.  

OBJECTIVES

• To identify the bones of the pelvic girdle.

• To label the important features of the bones of the pelvic girdle.

• To practice carefully handling skeletal material.

READINGS

• Review the information on general human osteology in Chapter 2 of the text book and lab manual.

• Read the sections on the innominates, sacrum (sacral vertebrae) and coccyx (coccygeal vertebrae) in Chapter 2 of the text book and lab manual.

TERMS

In addition to the bones and features you will label on your drawings, you should understand the meanings of the following terms.

• single bone
• paired bone
• side
• dorsal (posterior)
  
• ventral (anterior)
• superior
• inferior
• medial
• lateral
  
• foramen (foramina, plural)
• sacrum
• sacral vertebra (vertebrae, plural)
• coccygeal vertebra (vertebrae, plural)
• coccyx
• os coxa (os coxae, plural)
• innominate
• articulate
  

INSTRUCTIONS

Closely examine the pelvic girdle bones laid out in the lab, being sure to handle the bones gently and to keep the bones with their labels.

You will draw and label the following bones and features to the best of your ability. 

Use the lab workbook, textbook, and reference books to assist in identifying and labeling your drawings.

Ask for help in orienting and siding the os coxa.

There are several features that are not in the lab workbook, so check with the instructor or lab assistant. In addition, male os coxa specimens will not exhibit some of the features, so check with the instructor or lab assistant.

Please use pencil and unlined paper for the drawings. 

Please draw the two views of the os coxa on separate pages. 

You may put your drawings of the sacrum and coccyx on one page, but be sure your drawings of individual bones are large enough to show details and features.

You must identify each individual drawing with the following information:  bone name, view, and left or right (for paired bones).

Make sure the features (e.g., auricular surface, iliac crest, etc.) are clearly drawn and bounded. You can't just point to a general area within the bone.

Each student should look at the articulated skeleton in the lab to see how the bones of the pelvic girdle articulate.

PELVIC GIRDLE BONES AND FEATURES