haversian canal /havur″shən/ [Clopton Havers, English physician, 1650–1702] , one of the many tiny longitudinal canals in bone tissue, averaging about 0.05 mm in diameter. Each contains blood vessels, connective tissue, nerve filaments, and occasionally lymphatic vessels. The canals are interconnected and part of an intricate network. See also haversian canaliculus, haversian system, Volkmann’s canal.
