16 The Histology and Physiology of the 



VI. — The Histology and Physiology of the Corpus Spongiosum 

 and the Corpus Cavemosum, &c., &c.* in Man. By Alex. 

 W. Stein, M.D., Attending Physician to Charity Hospital, 

 Professor of Visceral Anatomy and Physiology in New York 

 College of Dentistry and of Comparative Physiology, New York 

 College of Veterinary Surgeons. 



Histology. — The erectile tissue of the organ to which those parts 

 belong may be said to consist of venous cavities or cells which freely 

 communicate with each other, are continuous with the general 

 venous system, and are lined with squamous epithelium. The direct 

 connection of these cavities with the veins is clearly demonstrable 

 in such preparations, in which the cavities are somewhat filled with 

 blood (Fig. 8). In the corpus spongiosum these cells are quite 

 large near the surface or immediately beneath the external fibrous 

 investment, while toward the axis of the urethra they are short and 

 narrow. In the bulb they are larger than at any part anterior to 

 the same. 



The interspaces between these cavities are occupied principally 

 by non-striped muscles, which form, as it were, an external muscu- 

 lar tunic for these cavities. In these interspaces may also be re- 

 cognized connective tissue forming the connecting medium of the 

 muscles, blood-vessels, nerves, and lymphatics of the part. 



The sheath of connective tissue, known as the albuginea of the 

 corpus spongiosum, which lies beneath the subcutaneous areolar 

 tissue, and which surrounds the corpus spongiosum in its entire 

 length, is interspersed with innumerable fasciculi of organic muscles 

 which are attached to or originate from the albuginea at innumera- 

 ble and various points. From this origin they pass in a devious 

 manner in the interspaces between the venous cells, inward toward 

 the deeper portions of the spongy substance, verging suddenly from 

 one direction into another, and by their manifold directions and 

 connections with each other form the intricate trabecular structure 

 or treUis-work of the corpus spongiosum. 



Many of these fasciculi run horizontally internal to the albu- 

 ginia, so that upon transverse section the periphery of the corpus 

 spongiosum appears, at first glance, to be surrounded by a circular 

 layer of organic muscles. Upon more precise examination, how- 

 ever, we find that this muscular layer does not form an absolute ring, 

 but only an approximation to one. On the contrary, not a single 

 fasciculus runs continuously around the spongy substance, but em- 

 braces only a small portion of its periphery in a horizontal direction, 



* Illustrated by microscopical specimens prepared by my friend, John Busteed, 

 M.D., and myself. 



