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== Ossification ==
[[File:Gray234 - First metacarpal bone.png|thumb|Ossification of hand bones. First metacarpal shown in yellow.]]
The metacarpal bone of the thumb has two centres of ossification: a primary centre in the shaft and a secondary centre in the base. This contrasts to the other four metacarpal bones where the secondary centre is found in the head. The ossification process begins in the shaft during the ninth week of prenatal life, and in the base during the second year of life in girls and the third year in boys. These centres unite before fifteenth year in girls and seventeenth year in boys.
<ref name="Doyle-Ossification">{{harvnb|Doyle|Botte|2003| loc=Ossification Centres and Accessory Bones}}</ref><!-- ref for para -->
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