THE ORGANS OF THE MIDDLE GERM-LAYER. 403 



that it resembles in every particular the male organ. The resem- 

 blance may become even greater, when the ovaries migrate into the 

 inguinal region instead of the true pelvis, pass through the wall of 

 the abdomen, and become imbedded in the labia majora. In con- 

 sequence of this the latter lie upon the root of the large clitoris and 

 simulate a kind of scrotum. 



The malformations which have given occasion for the assumption 

 of hermaphroditism are of more frequent occurrence in the male. 

 They are attributable to the fact that the processes of fusion which 

 normally take place are interrupted. We then have a genital 

 member, which ordinarily is rudimentary, along the under side of 

 which there runs only a furrow instead of the urethra, a malforma- 

 tion which is designated as hypospadias. With this morphological 

 deficiency may be united, secondly, an arrest of the normal descent 

 of the testes. The latter remain in the body-cavity, and the genital 

 ridges thus acquire a great similarity to the labia majora of the female. 



III. The Development of the Suprarenal Bodies. 



The discussion of the suprarenal bodies best follows that of the 

 nrogenital system. For, aside from the fact that the suprarenal 

 bodies and the genito-urinary organs are in all Vertebrates very 

 closely connected spatially, they also appear to stand in very close 

 relation to each other in the history of their development. At least 

 the recent investigations of WELDON, JANOSIK, and MIHALKOVICS 

 point that way, and are perhaps also sufficient to suggest the direction 

 of the physiological research by which one can acquire an explanation 

 concerning the ever problematic function of these bodies. 



As is well known, there are to be distinguished in the suprarenal 

 bodies two different substances, which in Mammals are described, 

 according to their mutual relations, as medulla and cortex. Most 

 investigators ascribe to them a double origin. BALFOUR, BRAUN, 

 KOLLIKER, and MITSUKUBI make the medulla arise from the gang- 

 lionic fundaments of the sympathetic nerve-trunk (Grenzstrang), it 

 is for this reason that in many text-books the suprarenal bodies are 

 treated of in connection with the sympathetic, but GOTTSCHAU and 

 JANOSIK controvert this ; they maintain that only certain ganglionic 

 cells and nerve-fibres grow in from the sympathetic, but that the 

 real medullary cells arise by a metamorphosis of cortical cells. It 

 appears to me from the existing investigations that the question is 

 not ready for discussion. 



