THE TESTICLES. 315 



larger of the two." l The proper fibrous coat is everywhere 

 covered by the closely-adherent tunica vaginalis, except at 

 the posterior border, w r here the vessels enter and the duct 

 passes out. At the outer edge of this border, is the epididy- 

 mis, formed of convoluted tubes, presenting a superior en- 

 largement, called the globus major, a long mass running the 

 length of the testicle, called the body, and a smaller enlarge- 

 ment inferiorly, called the globus minor. This, too, is cov- 

 ered with the tunica vaginalis. Between the membrane cov- 

 ering the testicle and epididymis and the layer lining the 

 scrotal cavity, is a small quantity of serum, just enough to 

 moisten the serous surfaces. At the superior portion of the 

 testicle, we usually find one or more small, ovoid bodies, at- 

 tached to the testicle by short, constricted processes, which 

 are called the hydatids of Morgagni. These have no physio- 

 logical importance, and are supposed to be the remains of 

 foetal structures. 



The proper fibrous coat of the testicle is called the tunica 

 albuginea. It is white, dense, inelastic, measures about -fa 

 of an inch in thickness, and is simply for the protection of 

 the contained structures. Sections of the testicle, made in 

 various directions, show an incomplete vertical process of the 

 tunica albuginea; called the corpus Highmorianum, or the me- 

 diastinum testis. This is wedge-shaped, about -J- of an inch 

 wide at its superior and thickest portion, is pierced by nu- 

 merous openings, and lodges blood-vessels and seminiferous 

 tubes. From the mediastinum, numerous delicate, radiating 

 processes of connective tissue pass to the inner surface of the 

 tunica albuginea, dividing the substance of the testicle into 

 imperfect lobules, which lodge the seminiferous tubes. 

 Luschka estimates the number of these lobules at from one 

 hundred and fifty to two hundred. 2 Their shape is pyrami- 



1 QUAIN, Elements of Anatomy, London, 1867, vol. ii., p. 967. For the sake 

 of uniformity of description, most of the measurements of the different parts of 

 the testicle will be taken from the above work. 



3 LUSCHKA, Anatomic des Menschen, Tubingen, 1864, Bd. ii., S. 267. 



