Читать книгу The Biology, Physiology and Sociology of Reproduction - Winfield Scott Hall - Страница 27

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The external genitals of the human male consist of the penis and scrotum, the latter containing the testes.

The penis of the young man who has completed the stage of puberty consists (1) of the two corpora cavernosa, as they are called, or erectile bodies, called cavernosa because they contain numerous blood sinuses which when filled cause the organ to erect. (2) Between and beneath the corpora cavernosa lies the corpus spongiosum which consists principally of the urethra. Around these three cylindrical bodies there is a sheath of loose connective tissue, outside of which is the skin.

About one inch of the distal end of the organ is differentiated into a sort of head which is called the glans over which, in the young child, the skin is redoubled and called the prepuce or foreskin. The glans is covered and the prepuce is lined by mucous membrane. Over the glans the mucous membrane is red, thin and moist and possesses numerous nerve papillæ. The prepuce, as stated above, usually covers the glans penis in young children and may do so throughout life. It is sometimes adherent to the glans. This is abnormal, and as soon as it is discovered the adhesions should be broken up by a physician. The normal prepuce of the adolescent male should be free from the glans and should be sufficiently loose easily to retract back of the glans, a position it is likely to take in erection. If the prepuce extends half an inch or more beyond the glans penis as a little flap of skin, or if it is constricted at the opening so that it is difficult to clear the glans or to replace the prepuce when it is once back of the glans, the condition is not normal, and should have the attention of a competent surgeon.

One can easily understand the need of a prepuce in the case of primeval man, who was practically unprotected by clothing, but in the present condition of civilized races the prepuce is certainly an unnecessary appendage, and there are several good reasons why the prepuce should be removed. This operation [circumcision] is not, in any sense, to be looked upon as a mutilation, but simply a hygienic measure made advisable, if not necessary, by the unnatural conditions under which we are now existing.

Beneath the prepuce cheesy secretions from the glands back of the head of the penis collect, and if the organ is not frequently cleansed these accumulated secretions may serve as an irritant. Such local irritation is one of the most prevalent causes of masturbation in boys.

The removal of the prepuce in young children is an exceedingly simple operation and not by any means difficult or dangerous in the adult. If the prepuce is removed the organ will need no especial care, as contact with the clothing will remove the secretions as they appear. Furthermore, the glans penis becomes less sensitive and therefore less subject to local irritation thus simplifying the young man's problems in sexual hygiene.

The penis in its flaccid state varies considerably in size, due not only to varying conditions of temperature but also to individual peculiarities. The organ may vary between 2½ inches and 6 inches in length in the flaccid state and between 5 inches and 8 inches in the erected condition. The size of the generative organs is not an index of virility in the male.

The testes are the male generative glands and are described as about 1½ inches in length, 1¼ inches in width and nearly 1 inch in thickness. The testes are contained within the scrotal sac, the outside coat of which is a thin wrinkled skin, within which are four thin coats. Next to the testes and enveloping the spermatic cord is a thin covering which is carried down into the scrotum when the testicle leaves the abdomen, where it is formed. This descent of the testes from the abdomen takes place normally in the later weeks of intrauterine life. The testes may, however, through some unusual condition, be retained and make their descent months or even years later. If the testes have not descended by the end of the age of puberty, the advice of a competent surgeon should be sought.