Figure 2.

The invasive rabbit loading model. Jiri Hert was the first to describe an artificial mechanical loading model in 1969. Loading was applied through surgically implanted pins in the lapine tibia. Using this approach and assessing the adaptive response of the bone Hert and his co-workers were able to establish, amongst other findings, that adaptive bone (re)modeling occurred without the need for any central nervous connection (42–44).