The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirsBalfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Science
The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirs
Balfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Embryology; Zoology
In considering the relations between the modes of development of the
urinogenital organs of the bird and of the Selachians, the first important
point to notice is, that whereas in the Selachians the segmental duct of
the kidneys is first developed and subsequently becomes split into the
Müllerian and Wolffian ducts; in the bird these two ducts develop
independently. This difference in development would be accurately described
by saying that in birds the segmental duct of the kidneys develops as in
Selachians, but that the Müllerian duct develops independently of it.
Since in Selachians the Wolffian duct is equivalent to the segmental duct
of the kidneys with the Müllerian removed from it, when in birds the
Müllerian duct develops independently of the segmental kidney duct, the
latter becomes the same as the Wolffian duct.
The second mode of stating the difference in development in the two cases
represents the embryological facts of the bird far better than the other
method.
It explains why the Wolffian duct appears earlier than the Müllerian and
not at the same time, as one might expect according to the other way of
stating the case. If the Wolffian duct is equivalent to the segmental duct
of Selachians, it must necessarily be the first duct to develop; and not
improbably the development of the Müllerian duct would in birds be expected
to occur at the time corresponding to that at which the primitive duct in
Selachians became split into two ducts.
It probably also explains the similarity in the mode of development of the
Wolffian duct in birds and the primitive duct of the kidneys in Selachians.
This way of stating the case is also in accordance with theoretical
conclusions. As the egg-bearing function of the Müllerian duct became more
and more confirmed we might expect that the adult condition would impress
itself more and more upon the embryonic development, till finally the
Müllerian duct ceased to be at any period connected with the kidneys, and
the history of its origin ceased to be traceable in its development. This
seems to have actually occurred in the higher vertebrates, so that the only
persisting connection between the Müllerian duct and the urinary system is
the brief but important junction of the two at their lower ends on the
sixth or seventh day. This junction justly surprised Waldeyer (_Eierstock
u. Ei_, p. 129), but receives a complete and satisfactory explanation on
the hypothesis given above.
The original development of the segmental tubes is in the bird solely
retained in the tubules of the Wolffian body arising independently of the
Wolffian duct, and I have hitherto failed to find that there is a distinct
division of the Wolffian bodies into segments corresponding with the
vertebral segments.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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