ANATOMY OP THE MALE ORGANS OE GENEKATION 



67 



spaces, already referred to, into which the organ is divided by strands of 

 fibrous tissue given off from the " mediastinum testis". Although occupy- 

 ing separate compartments the tubes of one lobule freely communicate with 

 those contiguous with it. The semen secreted by the seminal tubes is 

 conveyed to the "mediastinum testis" by a number of straight ducts, 

 '' vasa recta" (fig. 223c), which there unite and form a net-work, the rete 

 testis. The secretion then leaves the testicle by means of the " vasa 

 efferentia", a group of vessels, each 

 of which twists and turns upon 

 itself to form a conical mass, " coni 

 vasculosi" , and these together con- 

 stitute the globus major. From the 

 globus major the "vas deferens" or 

 main excretory duct takes its origin, 

 and after twisting and turning about 

 to form the globus minor, continues 

 its course upward along the inguinal 

 canal to the pelvis, where, after 

 reaching the upper surface of the 

 bladder, it becomes enlarged, and 

 after joining with the duct of the 

 vesicula seminalis it opens into the 

 prostatic portion of the urethra by 

 the ejaculatory duct. 



Spermatic Cord (fig. 224).— 



This is the structure by which the 

 testis is suspended in the scrotum. 

 It is composed of arteries and veins, 

 the former going to and the latter 

 from the organ, of nerves and lym- 

 phatics, as well as the excretory 



duct {vas deferens) by which the seminal fluid is conveyed into the 

 urethra. The arteries and veins are remarkable for the winding course 

 they take in approaching and leaving the gland. 



The Scrotum. — The scrotum, commonly called the "purse", is a 

 bag in which the testes are suspended by the spermatic cord. It 

 is composed of six layers, the chief of which are the skin and the 

 dartos. 



The skin is an extension of the common integument, but much thinner 

 and more supple than that found in the more exposed parts of the body. 

 It possesses, besides, a large number of sebaceous glands, whose unctuous 



Fig. 224.— Constituents of SpermiUic Cord 



,, Vas Deferens or Spermatic Duct. B, Spermatic Veil 

 C, Spermatic Artery. D. Internal Abdominal Ring. 



