THE TESTES. 1017 



are very numerous, and ascend along the cord in front of the vas deferens ; below 

 the external or superficial abdominal ring they unite to form three or four veins, 

 which pass along the inguinal canal, and. entering the abdomen through the 

 internal or deep abdominal ring, coalesce to form two veins. These again unite to 

 form a single vein, which opens on the right side into the inferior vena cava at an 

 acute angle, and on the left side into the renal vein at a right angle. 



The lymphatic vessels terminate in the lumbar glands. 



The nerves are the spermatic plexus from the sympathetic, joined by filaments 

 from the pelvic plexus which accompany the artery of the vas deferens. 



Surgical Anatomy. The scrotum forms an admirable covering for the protection of the 

 testicle. This body, lying suspended and loose in the cavity of the scrotum and surrounded by 

 a serous membrane, is capable of great mobility, and can therefore easily slip about within the 

 scrotum, and thus avoid injuries from blows or squeezes. The skin of the scrotum is very 

 elastic and capable of great distension, and on account of the looseness and amount of subcu- 

 taneous tissue the scrotum becomes greatly enlarged in cases of oedema, to which this part is 

 especially liable on account of its dependent position. The scrotum is frequently the seat of 

 epithelioma ; this is no doubt due to the rugae on its surface, which favor the lodgment of dirt, 

 and this, causing irritation, is the exciting cause of the disease, which is especially common in 

 chimney-sweeps from the lodgment of soot. The scrotum is also the part most frequently 

 affected by elephantiasis. 



On account of the looseness of the subcutaneous tissue considerable extravasations of blood 

 may take place from very slight injuries. It is therefore generally recommended never to apply 

 leeches to the scrotum, since they may lead to considerable ecchymosis, but rather to puncture 

 one or more of the superficial veins of the scrotum in cases where local bloodletting from this 

 part is judged to be desirable. The muscular fibre in the dartos causes contraction and consider- 

 able diminution in the size of a wound of the scrotum, as after the operation of castration, and 

 is of assistance in keeping the edges together and covering the exposed parts. 



THE TESTES. 



The Testes are suspended in the scrotum by the spermatic cords. As the left 

 spermatic cord is rather longer than the right one, the left testicle hangs somewhat 

 lower than its fellow. Each gland is of an oval form, compressed laterally, and 

 having an oblique position in the scrotum, the upper extremity being directed 

 forward and a little outward, the lower, backward and a little inward ; the anterior 

 convex border looks forward and downward ; the posterior or straight border, to 

 which the cord is attached, backward and upward. 



The anterior border and lateral surfaces, as well as both extremities of the 

 organ, are convex, free, smooth, and invested by the visceral layer of the tunica 

 vaginalis. The posterior border, to which the cord is attached, receives only a 

 partial investment from that membrane. Lying upon the outer edge of this poste- 

 rior border is a long, narrow, flattened body, named from its relation to the testis, 

 the epididymis (ded'jjjtoi;, testis). It consists of a central portion, or body ; an 

 upper enlarged extremity, the head, or globus major ; and a lower pointed extrem- 

 ity, the tail, or globus minor. The globus major is intimately connected with the 

 upper end of the testicle by means of its efferent ducts, and the globus minor is 

 connected with its lower end by cellular tissue and a reflection of the tunica vagi- 

 nalis. The outer surface and upper and lower ends of the epididymis are free and 

 covered by serous membrane ; the body is also completely invested by it, excepting 

 along its posterior border, and between the body and the testicle is a pouch or cul- 

 de-sac, named the digital fossa. The epididymis is connected to the back of the 

 testis by a fold of the serous membrane. Attached to the upper end of the testis, 

 close to the globus major, are two small pedunculated bodies. One of them is 

 pear-shaped, and attached by its narrow stalk ; the other is small and sessile ; they 

 are believed to be the remains of the upper extremity of the Miillerian duct, and 

 are termed the hydatids of Morgagni ; some observers, however, regard the stalked 

 hydatid as being a rudiment of the pronephros. When the testicle is removed 

 from the body, the position of the vas deferens, on the posterior surface of the 

 testicle and inner side of the epididymis, marks the side to which the gland has 

 belonged. 



