Abstract
The development of the male accessory sex glands is intimately connected with the formation of the mesonephros, especially its excretory duct, the wolffian duct (Felix, 1911; Horstmann and Stegner, 1966; Oberndorfer, 1931; for review see Tiedemann, 1976). While in the human embryo the pronephros is only a transitory rudiment, the remnants of its canaliculi fuse in a craniocaudal direction and form a common duct, the primary ureter or wolffian duct, which joins the excretory canaliculi and terminates blind at the caudal ectoderm (Chwalla, 1927). The mesonephros, a functioning organ in various species (Tiedemann, 1976; Tiedemann and Schluns, 1975), forms together with the developing gonad a fold of the dorsal abdominal cavity, the urogenital fold (Plica urogenitalis). This fold consists of (1) the genital fold (plica genitalis) containing the gonad and (2) the mesonephric ridge (plica mesonephridica) containing the mullerian and wolffian ducts. In the caudal parts of the embryo the mesonephric ridges of both sides fuse at their lateral aspects, after being rotated around a vertical axis by 180°. Thereby a frontal membrane is formed which terminates on the pelvic floor.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
