Complete Atrophy of Kidney in Pigeons Following Section of the Ureter.

Summary

Atrophy, partial and complete, of the kidney of dove or pigeon can be obtained by section of one ureter. Pressure develops in the occluded duct and kidney, and insoluble urates later disappear from the contents of the duct. The uninjured kidney readily undergoes functional hypertrophy.

These observations have a bearing on the problem of the agenesis of organs. They indicate that in some cases the absence of a glandular organ which, like the kidney, is functional in the embryo may have been formed (not agenesis) and-through malformation or malfunction of its duct-later undergone complete atrophy. In contrast, section of the genital ducts of these birds was not followed by atrophy of testis or ovary; this evidence therefore indicates that the absence of gonads in birds has a different origin and significance.