PART I 



DISEASES OF THE GENITAL ORGANS NOT 

 ATTRIBUTED TO INFECTION 



Chapter I 



THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF 

 THE GENITAL ORGANS 



A. The Male Genitalia 



The male genital organs consist of the testicles, epididy- 

 mes, vasa deferentia, vesiculae seminales, prostate and 

 Cowper's glands, and the penis with its sheath and prepuce. 



Prior to the disappearance of the Wolffian bodies in the 

 embryo, there appear near their anterior end at their median 

 side, two parallel thickenings in the peritoneum designated 

 the genital ridges, which by an elaboration of their epithel- 

 ium ultimately form the genital glands. At first they can- 

 not be differentiated, but they quickly assume definite sex 

 characters and can be recognized as male (testicles) or fe- 

 male (ovaries) glands. 



1. The Testicles and their Excretory Ducts 



a. The testicles at first lie against the vertebral column, 

 in close proximity to each other, between the anterior ends 

 of the Wolffian bodies. The essential structures of the 

 testicles, the tubuli seminiferi and the specialized cells ela- 

 borating the spermatozoa, are formed from the peritoneal 

 cells of the genital ridges. The contiguous peritoneal areas 

 draw over the genital ridges, perpetuating the general peri- 

 toneal surface while the glandular mass of the testicle lies 

 outside or above the peritoneal cavity. 



The Wolffian bodies soon disappear as independent struc- 

 tures. The anterior end of each Wolffian body later forms 

 the head of the corresponding epididymis, becoming continu- 

 ous with the proximal end of the testicle, upon its lateral 



