Bone remodelling: should we cry Wolff?

Abstract

Wolff's Law describes the relationship between the structure and function of bone. Julius Wolff based his law on a comparison of the stress trajectories in Culmann's crane with the pattern of trabecular bone in the femoral neck. However, his analysis was based on a misinterpretation of mechanical data and a rejection of bone resorption. Wilhelm Roux was the first to accurately describe the adaptation of bone to altered load, so Roux's Law would be a more accurate eponym.