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The Coming of Age of the Epididymis

  • Conference paper
Testis, Epididymis and Technologies in the Year 2000

Part of the book series: Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop ((3368,volume 6))

Abstract

Several descriptive anatomical and histological studies of the testicular excurrent duct system from various species appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the 1920’s, Benoit published a series of articles which culminated in a comprehensive treatise (Benoit, 1926) on the anatomy, cytology, and histophysiology of the efferent ducts, epididymis, and vas deferens. In that article, we can recognize easily our current view that a series of efferent ducts merge to form a single, highly convoluted, epididymal duct that is made up of several cell types, is under the influence of testicular substances, and is the site where spermatozoa acquire their potential for motility. The prevalent hypothesis in the 1920’s, that the epididymis plays an active role in the maturation of spermatozoa, their acquisition of motility, and their storage, was challenged by Young in a series of articles published between 1929 and 1931 (Young, 1929a,b, 1931). Relatively little research was done on the excurrent duct system during the ensuing three decades.

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  1. B. Robaire
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  2. P. Syntin
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  3. K. Jervis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. GERM-INSERM U. 435, Université de Rennes, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes, Bretagne, France

    B. Jégou  & C. Pineau  & 

  2. INSERM U. 369, Faculté de médicine Lyon-RTH Laennec, rue Guillaume Paradin, 69372, Lyon, Cedex 08, France

    J. Saez

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Robaire, B., Syntin, P., Jervis, K. (2000). The Coming of Age of the Epididymis. In: Jégou, B., Pineau, C., Saez, J. (eds) Testis, Epididymis and Technologies in the Year 2000. Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop, vol 6. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04050-8_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04050-8_14

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