350 SPLANCHNOLOGY. 



EPIDIDYMIS. 



The epididymis is an elongated body extending along the 

 upper border of the testis, and covered by a continuation of the 

 tunica vaginalis propria. It consists of a body, a head or globus 

 major, and a tail or globus minor. The head, situated ante- 

 riorly, is closely adherent to the testicle through the vasa efferentia. 

 The body is free, and curved to the shape of the testicle, to 

 which the head is attached. The globus minor, posteriorly 

 placed, is more free than the rest. The vasa efferentia, forming 

 the coni vasculosi, enter the globus major, and successively join 

 at irregular distances to form the canal of the epididymis, the 

 convolutions of the latter forming the body and globus minor. 

 The tubes join and become larger, until they form a single canal, 

 the vas deferens, of which the epididymis may be regarded as 



the origin. 



VAS DEFERENS. 



This is a tube with firm solid walls, which, after leaving the 

 globus minor, ascends the back of the spermatic cord to the 

 inguinal canal. On passing through the internal abdominal ring, 

 the vas deferens leaves the cord and enters the pelvis, passing to 

 the an tero -lateral aspect of the bladder, where the obliterated 

 umbilical artery winds round it ; it then becomes dilated, form- 

 ing the bulbous portion ; it is directed backwards and inwards 

 towards the neck of the bladder ; here it is joined by the duct of 

 the vesicula seminalis, the two forming the ejaculatory duct. 

 The vas deferens thus terminates about the base of the prostate 

 gland. A long narrow tube, the vasculum aberrans, is some- 

 times found leaving the lower part of the canal of the epididymis, 

 extending a short way up the back of the testis, between it and 

 the body of the epididymis, and terminating in a csecal extrem- 

 ity. The vas deferens consists of three coats an external one of 

 connective tissue, a middle muscular and elastic, and an internal 

 mucous coat, lined chiefly with columnar epithelium. 



VESICULJE SEMINALES. 



The vesiculse seminales are two lobulated, pear-shaped, glandu- 

 lar pouches, situated on each side of the postero-superior aspect 

 of the bladder, and between it and the rectum. Their larger 



