THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE BONE TISSUES OF TIGER, LEOPARD AND BEAR

Tiger bone is a kind of valuable traditional Chinese medicine used for strengthening human bones and tendons and removing soreness and relieving pains. There have been cases of adulterating the tiger skeleton with the skeleton of some big beasts on the market for many years.Differentiation of tiger bones from leopard and bear bones is difficult. It is also more difficult to identify them in splits. Fifty eight parts such as tibia, humerus, scapulae, skull, vertebrum, costae and patella etc have been studied and the tiny differences among these three kinds of bone tissues were found.1. Tiger bone tissues are substantial with thick substantia compacta. The diameter of the medium bone marrow cavity of its diaphysis is just about the thickness of the substantia compacta.According to the distinctioh of the intercemental lines, the structure of lamellae in Haversian systems and the interstitial lamellae are very obvious. Substantia spongiosa is more sparse.2. Leopard bone tissues are hard but loose. Blue and white filings are often adhesive to the surface of the fragment. Its medium bone marrow cavity of the diaphysis is about half of the diameter in cross section. Its intercemental lines are very thin and its tissue is very smooth and fine with a great deal of osteocytes. Its substantia spongiosa is thiner.3. Bear bone tissues are hard and brittle. They are apt to be cut down obliquely as by sawing with oblique striations and adhesions of white breaking filings at the surface of fragments. Their substantia compacta are thicker. The diameter of its medium bone marraw cavity is about two-fifths of that of the diaphysis. The structures are very distinct with many Haversian systems and many small interstitial lamella, a few of osteocytes and a sparse of substantia spongiosa.4. Tiger patella is short, wide and looks like a saddle. There is no cavity in the centrum and the outer layeris consist of substantia compacta. The surface is surrounded by cartilage tissues and tendons. Its frontal part of substantia compacta is thicker and the synovial side is thiner with more haversian systems and less osteocytes.Leopard patella is oval with thicker frontal part and slightly thiner rear part. The degree of the slope of both lateral side is just like a tortoise back. There are tiny differences between the thickness of the frontal and synovial part.Bear patella is round with fine wrinkles twisted on the surface. An index table is listed from the above mentioned results.