Bone marrow is located in the interior of the bones and produces white cells for the immune system, red cells for oxygen transportation, and platelets for blood clotting. There are two types of bone marrow. Red marrow consists of mainly hematopoietic tissue, and yellow marrow consists mainly of fat cells. At birth all marrow is red, but with age, half of it is transformed into yellow marrow. Red marrow is found mainly in the flat bones such as the pelvis, sternum, and cranium, and in the ends of long bones such as the femur and humerus. Here hematopoiesis takes place, which is the formation of blood cellular components.

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Surgeon Dr. Hans Janovich performs a bone marrow harvest operation. The procedure consists of inserting a large-gauge ...