By tearing thin sheets from the surface of decalcified bones, Sharpey first demonstrated the lamellar nature of bone, and also that these lamellæ have a fibrous structure.

The fibres, consisting of two sets crossing each other, were thought to be interwoven in each lamella, and contiguous fibrous laminæ to be separated from each other by a homogeneous ground substance in which the lime salts were mainly situated; alternations of fibrous and homogeneous layers giving rise to the appearance of lamellation.

From the researches of V. Ebner and my own investigations, the matrix is undoubtedly throughout fibrous, the lamellar appearance being due to an alternation of layers in which the directions of the fibres differ.