630 SPECIAL HISTOLOGY. 



connective tissue and elastic fibrils, with which, in the neck of the blad- 

 der, a few, and, at its base, pretty numerous flat, smooth muscles are 

 intermixed. 



The glands of Cowper are compact, compound, racemose glands, 

 whose ultimate vesicles, 0-02-0-05 of a line in size, are lined with a 

 tessellated epithelium, whilst a cylindrical epithelium is found in the 

 excretory canals. The delicate membrane with which the whole gland 

 is invested, as well as the fibrous stroma in its interior, is tolerably rich 

 in smooth muscles, which have lately been also found by me in the ex- 

 cretory canals, J of a line wide, as a delicate longitudinal layer. The 

 secretion of these glands, which may be readily obtained from the ex- 

 cretory ducts, is common mucus. 



201. The organ of copulation, in Man, consists of the penis, an 

 organ which is composed of three erectile, highly vascular bodies the 

 corpora spongiosa s. cavernosa ; it is attached to the pelvis, and traversed 

 by the urethra, invested by special fasciae and by the external integu- 

 ment, and furnished with three proper muscles. 



The corpora cavernosa penis are two cylindrical bodies separated 

 posteriorly, united anteriorly, and parted only by a single incomplete 

 septum, in which are to be distinguished a special fibrous membrane 

 (tunica albuginea s. fibrosa), and the internal spongy tissue. The 

 former, which is a white, glistening, very strong membrane, J a line 

 in thickness, constitutes both the external tunic of the spongy bodies, 

 and also, in its anterior half as a thin lamella, partially broken up into 

 separate fibres and laminae the septum between them ; it consists of 

 common fibrous tissue, like that of tendons and ligaments, with nume- 

 rous, well-developed, fine, elastic fibres. Within it lies the reddish 

 spongy substance, consisting of innumerable fibres, bars, and laminae, 

 united into a fine meshwork the trabeculce corp. cavernosorum ; and 

 with its minute, rounded-angular cavities, which anastomose on all sides, 

 and, in life, are filled with venous blood, the venous sinuses of the 

 spongy body, bears the most deceptive resemblance to a sponge. All 

 the trabeculce, without exception, present precisely the same structure. 

 Externally they are covered by a simple layer of intimately connected 

 tessellated epithelium, the cells of which frequently do not admit of 

 being separated, the epithelium of the venous spaces ; to this succeeds 

 the proper fibrous tissue, which is composed on the one hand of almost 

 equal proportions of connective tissue and fine elastic fibres, and on the 

 other of smooth muscles, and in many, but by no means in all, the tra- 

 beculce, encloses larger or smaller arteries and nerves. The elements of 

 the trabecular muscles are not only at once distinctly recognizable from 

 their wholly characteristic nuclei, on the addition of acetic acid, but 

 may also be isolated in great numbers, and especially after treatment 



