Bone marrow - histology slide

This is a histology slide of bone marrow and cancellous bone. There are 3 elements in the slides - bone trabeculae, adipose cells, and blood cells. The trabeculae are elongate and stain eosinophilically. This pink staining is due to the bone's having been decalcified in preparation. Osteoblasts are small round cells lined up along the edges of the trabeculae. The ratio of fat cells to blood cells is about 50:50. It is not possible to identify each developing blood cell. The large eosinophilic cells with multiple small round bodies (platelets) in their cytoplasm are megakaryocytes.

Histology image descriptions and photography by Frank N. Miller, M.D.; histology image courtesy of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.