Talk:Metatarsal bones

Written like a medical textbook
This article could benefit from translation into more understandable English. Phrases like "ossa metatarsalia I.-V.," "presents for examination a body and two extremities," and "articular eminence continuous with the terminal articular surface" sound as if they were lifted directly from a rather advanced textbook. (Is there a template for tagging this in the article? I could not find one.) I think I can help a little bit but am pointing it out here, in case others want to take a stab at it before I get the time. Peter Chastain (talk) 17:03, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Substitute "joint" for "articulation" or explain "articulation"
Few modern English speakers know "articulation" means "joint" and this information is not readily available.

articulation 	The region where adjacent bones contact each other — a joint.

cf: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint


 * 1) Compound Joint: 3 or more articulation surfaces (eg. radiocarpal joint)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.167.95.30 (talk) 01:13, 21 December 2009 (UTC)

"articulation" doesn't mean "joint," it means "how a joint articulates" which is to say what degrees of freedom a particular joint has. Articulation is a concept people need to understand in order to understand joints (why is a shoulder joint so different from a knuckle, because of their different articulations) but the term does need to be better explained or at least linked. Whilom (talk) 05:54, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

Needs "In other animals" section
Metacarpal, ulna, radius, scapula et al have "In other animals" section but this article does not. Whilom (talk) 05:54, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

analogous?
two structures are analogous when they have evolved independently a similar form related to their function. Metatarsals and metacarpals are similar because their development is control by they same processes, not because they have the same function. I think they have what it is called "serial homology". --163.10.65.54 (talk) 19:56, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

"Knucklebone" redirect
Why does "knucklebone" redirect here?

Going by the dictionary, a "knucklebone" is:

"1 (in humans) any of the bones forming a knuckle of a finger. 2 (in quadrupeds) a bone homologous with a wrist, ankle, or finger bone of humans, or its knobbed end."

The "oxforddictionaries" site similarly defines a "knuckle" as:

"A part of a finger at a joint where the bone is near the surface, especially where the finger joins the hand.

1.1 A projection of the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped. 1.2 A joint of meat consisting of the knuckle of an animal together with the adjoining parts. ‘a knuckle of pork’"

That is, it seems to refer to a joint in the hands of humans, or similar structures (presumably including in feet) of animals--while this article seems to be about the feet of humans. 197.101.102.240 (talk) 20:16, 6 March 2019 (UTC)