Hip
Today I saw, and was able to take into
my hands,
a titanium hip joint. It is an
exquisite article. Gorgeous in finish,
exhilarating to touch. Sculptural.
Breathtaking.
Before I go any further, I should say
that other metals may have been mixed
with the titanium, making an alloy, so calling it a
titanium hip joint, may not, strictly speaking, be
correct.
The ball of the prosthesis has been polished
into a mirror like surface but the rest of it has
a dull sheen. That is because, on a microscopic level
it has a roughness. This roughness enables the bone
to attach itself, thereby anchoring itself to the
surface. The word for this is osseointegration.
I first came across this word when I was having
some dental implants.
If you want to see an x-ray of what one of these devices
looks like when it's put in place
