ASPECTS OF SPERMATOGENESIS

A striking feature of spermatogenesis is the orderly succession of cell types involved in this process. The details have been worked out chiefly by Clermont and Leblond to whose work references are made in Dr. Baker’s paper. Examination of the spermatogenic epithelium shows distinctive patterns of cell associations, which differ from place to place because the duration of the various cell types all differ. Most mammals investigated, including rhesus and vervet monkeys, seem to have twelve clear-cut patterns of cell association (Clermont 1969), but in man irregularity is greater and only six cell associations could be recognized (Clermont 1963). Possibly the apes will be found to share man’s more random pattern, or else it is peculiar to him.