Intrinsic factors are known to play an integral part in skeletal morphogenesis (Willis, 1936; Fell, 1956). In particular, it has recently been demonstrated that the humerus (Felts, 1959) and femur (Chalmers & Ray, 1962) of the mouse develop, grow, and in many ways preserve their distinctive form when transplanted to non-functional sites. However, it is also widely recognized that internal and external environmental factors are important in determining skeletal growth and form (Sissons, 1956). The aim of this paper is to examine some of these extrinsic factors in terms of the effects of various types of host on the growth of subcutaneous transplants of the mouse humerus. The factors studied were environmental temperature, age and genotype including sex.
It has been shown that the growth of the tail and foot of the mouse is influenced by environmental temperature, with higher temperatures producing longer extremities (Sumner, 1909; Harrison, Morton & Weiner, 1959).