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XVII.—THE STRUCTURE OF HUMAN SPERMATOZOA
Author(s) -
Duijn C. van
Publication year - 1952
Publication title -
journal of the royal microscopical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0368-3974
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1952.tb02335.x
Subject(s) - head (geology) , biophysics , anatomy , envelope (radar) , feulgen stain , nucleus , chemistry , biology , staining , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , computer science , paleontology , telecommunications , radar
Synopsis A description is given of investigations on the structure of human spermatozoa. Both ordinary transmitted light, dark‐ground illumination and phase‐contrast have been used. Special methods have been applied for differential staining. The tail shows a ribbon‐like structure and contains an axial filament, finally emerging to form the tail‐end. The middle‐piece contains mitochondria and centrioles. The head contains a compact nucleus of the karyosome type, surrounded by a plasmatic envelope, and nucleoli. One or more vacuoles may be present. The plasmatic upper part of the head has the ability to make “groping” movements when it touches cells of foreign origin. The lower part of the head is surrounded by a cap, which stains heavily with some basic dyes. Chromosomal structures have been detected by means of the Feulgen technique. While the head, middle‐piece, and tail are very resistant to a number of chemicals, the connection between the head and the middle‐piece consists of a substance which may be decomposed easily by acid hydrolysis.