OF THE GENITAL FUNCTION IN MAN. 325 



of an epileptic nature and followed by great depres- 

 sion of strength.* (L) 



NOTES. 



(A) Instances of more than two testes are extremely rare. 

 Three, four, and even five, are said to have existed, and several 

 authors declare that they themselves have seen three in individuals 

 many of whose families were equally well provided.! Unless 

 such cases are related by an experienced medical man from his 

 own observation, they deserve no credit, and even then must be 

 regarded with suspicion, if anatomical examination has not 

 proved the additional bodies to be analogous to testes no less in 

 structure than in form and situation. The late eccentric 

 Dr. Mounsey, who ordered that his body should either be dis- 

 sected by one of his friends or thrown into the Thames, was 

 found to have in his scrotum a small steatom, which during life 

 might have given the appearance of three testes. 



The writers of such wonderful cases completely disagree in 

 their account of the powers of these triorchides, tetrorchides, 

 and pentorchides, some asserting them to be prodigious, others 

 greatly below those of ordinary men. 



One testis is commonly larger than the other, and, the right 

 spermatic chord being for the most part shorter than the left, 

 the right testis is generally the higher. 



(B) The original situation of the testes accounts for the 

 circumstance of their blood vessels arising from the loins, as 

 Mr. Hunter remarked 5 for parts generally derive their vessels 



* For which reason Zoiio the father of the Stoic philosophy, called the loss 

 of semen the loss of part of the animating principle. (M) 



f Dionis, U Anatomic des corps humains. Demonstration quatrime. Sect. 1. 

 Fernelius, Forcstus, De Graaf, Borelli, &c. &c. 



