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The phylogeny of testicular descent

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Abstract

In laboratory animals and humans testicular descent occurs in two distinct steps, suggesting that these may have occurred separately during the evolution of mammals. By dissection or from published descriptions we found that mammals could be grouped into two broad categories according to their evolutionary development and testicular position; this was generally consistent with our initial hypothesis that the two phases of descent were completely different. The human anomalies of “retractile” and “ascending” testes closely resemble the normal situation in some mammals. The huge number of mammalian species with descended testes compared with the very small number with intra-abdominal testes suggests descent has produced a significant reproductive advantage.

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  1. Surgical Research Unit, Department of General Surgery, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Flemington Road, 3052, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Martyn P. L. Williams & John M. Hutson

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  1. Martyn P. L. Williams
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  2. John M. Hutson
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Williams, M.P.L., Hutson, J.M. The phylogeny of testicular descent. Pediatr Surg Int 6, 162–166 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176060

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