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Medical Dictionary

Leydig cell

noun Ley·dig cell \ ˈlī-dig- \

variants: also Leydig's cell play \-dig(z)-\

medical Definition of Leydig cell

: a cell of interstitial tissue of the testis that is usually considered the chief source of testicular androgens and especially testosterone — called also cell of Leydig, interstitial cell of Leydig

Biographical Note for leydig cell

Leydig \ˈlī-diḵ\, Franz von (1821–1908), German anatomist. Leydig's interests included comparative anatomy, histology, and physiology. In 1850 he discovered and described the interstitial cell in a detailed account of the male sex organs. In 1857 he published a major text on the histology of humans and animals that is historically important as a major account of histology's development up to that time. The Wolffian duct was discovered and described by him in 1892.

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