1162 MALE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 



now entirely cut off from the general peritoneal cavity, constitutes the tunica 

 vaginalis. 1 



In the female, a small cord, corresponding to the gubernaculum in the 

 male, descends to the inguinal region, and ultimately forms the round ligament 

 of the uterus. A pouch of peritoneum accompanies it along the inguinal canal, 

 analogous to the processus vaginalis in the male : it is called the canal of Nuck. 



Surgical Anatomy. Abnormalities in the formation and in the descent of the testicle may 

 occur. The testicle may fail to be developed, or the testicle may be fully developed and tbe vas 

 deferens may be undeveloped in whole or part ; or, again, both testicle and vas deferens may be 

 fully developed, but the duct may not become connected to the gland. The testicle may fail in its 

 descent (cryptorchismus), or it may descend into some abnormal position. Thus it may be retained 

 in the position where it was primarily developed, below the kidney ; or it may descend to the 

 internal abdominal ring, but fail to pass through this opening ; it may be retained in the inguinal 

 canal, which is perhaps the most common position ; or it may pass through the external 

 abdominal ring and remain just outside it, failing to pass to the bottom of the scrotum. On the 

 other hand, it may get into some abnormal position : it may pass the scrotum and reach the 

 perinseum, or it may fail to enter the inguinal canal, and may find its way through the femoral 

 ring into the crural canal, and present itself on the thigh at the saphenous opening. There is 

 still a third class of cases of abnormality of the testicle, where the organ has descended in due 

 course into the scrotum, but is malplaced. The most common form of this is where the testicle 

 is inverted ; that is to say, the organ is rotated, so that the epididymis is connected to the front 

 of the scrotum, and the body, surrounded by the tunica vaginalis, is directed backward. In 

 these cases the vas deferens is to be felt in the front of the cord. The condition is of importance 

 in connection with hydrocele and haematocele, and the position of the testicle should always be 

 carefully ascertained before performing any operation for these affections. Again, more rarely, 

 the testicle may be reversed. This is a condition in which the top of the testicle, indicated by 

 the globus major of the epididymis, is at the bottom of the scrotum, and the vas deferens comes 

 off from the summit of the organ. 



1 The obliteration of the process of peritoneum which accompanies the cord, and is hence called 

 the funicular process, is often incomplete. See section on Inguinal Hernia. 



