COWPEB'S GLANDS THE SPERMATIC CORD. 963 



glands and follicles, commonly named the glands of Littre', the ducts of 

 which pass obliquely forwards through the membranes. They vary much in 

 size and in the degree of loculation and ramification of their cavities. Besides 

 these there are larger recesses or lacunae, opening by oblique orifices turned 

 forwards or down the canal. These are most abundant along the floor of the 

 urethra, especially in its bulbous part. One large and conspicuous recess, 

 situated on the upper surface of the fossa navicularis, is named the lacuna, 

 magna. 



Cowper's Glands. In the bulbous portion of the urethra, near its anterior 

 end, are the two openings of the ducts of Cowper's glands. These little 

 glands themselves are seated farther back than the bulb, beneath the fore 

 part of the membranous portion of the urethra, between the two layers of the 

 subpubic fascia, the anterior layer supporting them against the urethra. 

 The arteries of the bulb pass above, and the transverse fibres of the com- 

 pressor urethrae beneath these glands. They are two small firm rounded 

 bodies, about the size of peas, and of a deep yellow colour. They are com- 

 pound vesicular or racemose glands, composed of several small lobules held 

 together by a firm investment. This latter, as well as the walls of the ducts, 

 contains muscular tissue. The branched ducts, which commence in cellular 

 crypts, unite to form a single excretory duct for each gland, which runs 

 forwards with its fellow for about an inch or an inch and a half beneath the 

 mucous membrane, and the two terminate in the floor of the bulbous part of 

 the urethra by two minute orifices opening obliquely. These glands secrete a 

 viscid fluid, the use of which is not known ; their existence is said not to 

 be constant, and they appear to diminish in old age : sometimes there is 

 only one. 



Occasionally there is a third glandular body in front of and between Cowper'a 

 glands; this has been named the anterior prostate or anti-prostatic gland. 



The muscles in connection with the urethra and penis have been already- 

 described (p. 263). 



THE TESTES, AND THEIR EXCRETORY APPARATUS. 



The testicles or testes, the two glandular organs which secrete the seminal 

 fluid, are situated in the scrotum, each being suspended by a collection of 

 structures termed the spermatic cord. 



The spermatic cord. The parts which enter into this cord are the excre- 

 tory duct of the testicle, named the vas deferens, the spermatic artery and 

 veins, lymphatics, nerves, and connecting areolar tissue. Besides this, both 

 the cord and the testis have several coverings. The structures mentioned 

 come together to form the cord at the internal or deep abdominal ring 

 (p. 258), and, extending through the abdominal wall obliquely downwards 

 and towards the middle line, escape at the superficial or external abdominal 

 ring (p. 250), whence the cord descends over the front of the pubes into the 

 scrotum. 



COVERINGS OF THE TESTIS AND CORD. 



The inguinal canal. By the term inguinal canal is understood the space 

 occupied by the spermatic cord as it passes through the abdominal wall. It 

 extends from the deep to the superficial abdominal ring, and is about an 

 inch and a half in length. In the upper part of this course, the cord has 

 placed behind it the fascia trausversalis, and is covered in front by the 

 lower fibres of the internal oblique and transversalis muscles ; lower down, 



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