THE DEVELOPMENT OF COCHLEAR DUCT AND ORGAN OF CORTI IN HUMAN FETUSES / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

The authors observed the development of the organ of Corti in the temporal bones of 64 human fetuses of various fetal ages by means of comparing celloid sections with surface preparations. The organ of Corti just begins to appear in the second month. Most rapid development occurs in the period from the third to the fifth month. Afterwards, the principal structure of the organ of Corti tends to be stable with no further major changes, except for the differentiation and maturation of the intracellular components. In the fifth month, the major part of the higher columnar epithelial cells on the inner Side of the tunnel begins to degenerate and disintegrate before the formation of the inner spiral sulcus. But a few epithelial cells turn into large wandering cells. The authors discussed the characteristics, function and possible transformation of the wandering cells and compared them with essentially similar cells that appear in the developing central nervous system.