A process for preparing artificial bone is described which comprises: (i)
preparing a mixture of a finely divided bio-compatible ceramic powder, an
organic binder and a pore-forming agent in an inert liquid to form a body
and causing at least some of the pore-forming agent to align along a
common axis; (ii) optionally shaping the resulting body; (iii) allowing
the pore-forming agent to form a porous structure in the body; (iv)
heating the shaped body to a temperature sufficient to fix the porous
structure and; (v) further heating the body to eliminate residues of
organic binder and pore-forming agent and to fuse it.