What is Cartilage and Why Does It Not Heal by Itself Easily?

Cartilage is a precious commodity. As William Hunter, an 18th-century anatomist and physician, observed, an ulcerated cartilage “admits of a cure with more difficulty than a carious bone; and that, when destroyed, it is never recovered.” This matters because our bodies generally heal well, especially when we are young. For example, when bones are broken, […]