986 



HUMAN ANATOMY. 



Fig. 



node 



passes downward on either side of the membranous portion of the urethra, and, 

 accompanying the urethral lymphatics along the course of the internal pudic vessels, 

 terminates in one of the hypogastric nodes situated upon these vessels. 



The Urethra. — The mucous membrane of the male urethra is furnished 

 throughout its entire extent with a lymphatic net-work, which is especially rich in 

 the region of the glans and diminishes in complexity in the membranous and 

 prostatic portions of the duct. In the last region it communicates with the net-work 

 in the muscular coat of the neck of the bladder. The ef^erents from the membranous 

 portion of the duct associate themselves with some of the prostatic efferents and pass 

 to a hypogastric node situated on the course of the internal pudic vessels, and those 

 from the penial portion accompany the vessels which arise from the glans and will 

 be described in the account of the lymphatics of the penis. The net-work of the 

 female urethra corresponds with those of the membranous and prostatic portions of 

 the male duct. 



The External Reproductive Organs in the Male. — The lymphatics of the 

 scrotum form an exceedingly rich net-work, especially well developed in the vicinity 

 of the raphe and thence extending laterally over the entire surface. From six to 



eight stems arise from 

 ^^7- this net-work, and the 



uppermost accompany 

 and eventually anasto- 

 mose with the superficial 

 efferents from the penis 

 and terminate in the in- 

 ner inguinal nodes. The 

 remaining stems pass 

 upward and outward to 

 terminate in the inner 

 superficial subinguinal 

 nodes. 



The lymphatics of 

 the penis are divisible 

 into a superficial and a 

 deep set which correspond 

 respectively to the super- 

 ficial and deep blood- 

 vessels of the organ. The 

 superficial set forms a 

 net-work in the integu- 

 ment of the penis which 

 radiates in all directions 

 from the frenulum, some 

 stems passing forward and 

 upward into the prepuce and some especially strong stems passing dorsally in the 

 furrow behind the corona of the glans. As they approach the dorsal mid-line these 

 latter give of? one or two longitudinally directed efferents, or else they unite to form 

 a single stem which runs along the dorsal mid-line. Other stems arising from the 

 more proximal portions of the net-work curve upward from below over the lateral 

 surfaces of the penis, and either unite with the dorsal stems or form independent 

 lateral stems parallel with the dorsal ones. Numerous anastomoses occur between 

 all the longitudinal stems throughout their courses, and, as they approach the 

 symphysis, they bend laterally, some indeed dividing to send branches to either 

 side, and, after the upper stems from the scrotum have united with them, they 

 terminate in the inner inguinal nodes. 



The deep set forms a net-work especially well developed in the glans, in which 

 a superficial and a deep layer may be distinguished. Both these layers communicate 

 at the meatus with the urethral net-work, and from the deeper layer a special plexus 



Superficial lymphatic vessels of penis and scrotum and inguinal 

 nodes. (Brulins.*) 



* Arcliiv f. Anat. u. Physiol., 1900. 



