288 NORMAt HISTOLOGY AND ORGANOGRAPHY. 



Circular muscle. 



canal of the epididymis. It is a duct about twelve 

 inches long, but when unraveled and extended it is 

 eighteen to twenty inches in length. At first it is 

 rather tortuous, but soon becomes straight and 

 ascends along the inner border of the epididymis to 

 pass directly to the external abdominal ring, taking 

 a vertical course and forming a part of the spermatic 

 cord. It then passes through the inguinal canal, 



and reaching the 

 Fibrous coat. internal abdomi- 

 nal ring, turns 

 quickly down- 

 ward and inward 

 to the side of the 

 bladder upon 

 which it descends, 

 curving backward 

 and downward to 

 the neck of the 

 bladder, where it 

 enters the urethra 

 through the pros- 

 tate gland. In its 



abdominal course it lies external to the peritoneum, 

 and along the bladder wall it arches between the 

 latter and the ureter. Along this wall it becomes 

 sacculated and near its terminus gives off a lateral, 

 enlarged, and sacculated diverticulum, the seminal 

 -vesicle. The distal end beyond the opening of the 

 seminal vesicle, is a narrow straight tube called the 

 ejaculatory duct. 

 Structure. The wall of the vas deferens has three 



Ffg. 213. Cross section of vas deferens. 



