Hermaphroditism 42 1 



may extend deeply into the perineum, the halves of the scrotum re- 

 maining separate. Occasionally, the urethra opens on to the surface 

 of the perineum at the site 

 of the uro-genital (c, ug) 

 aperture. In the case of 

 doubt arising as to the sex 

 of an imperfectly formed 

 subject, the probability is 

 that the subject is a male, in ' V (V 

 whom the process of deve- 

 lopment has been arrested. 

 (Epispadias, p. 406.) Oc- 

 casionally, during the fusion 

 of the halves of the scrotum, 

 and the closing in of the 

 urethra, the penis becomes 

 drawn down into and 

 blended with the scrotum, 

 so that the imperfectly de- 

 veloped subject is taken for 

 a female. 



A glance at the adjacent 

 woodcut shows its close re- 

 semblance to fig. c above. 

 It represents the parts of an 

 imperfectly developed male, 

 who had ' lived in a state of 

 wedlock with three different 

 men.' (See Todd's Cyclo- 



pcedia, vol. ii. p. 693.) The illustration closely represents also the 

 external genitals of a person whom I recently saw in consultation, who, 

 having been brought up as a female, was not aware of his true sex 

 until near twenty years of age. 



In a case of doubtful sex the testes may often be pressed down from 

 the higher part of the inguinal canal ; their discovery at once shows the 

 child to be a male. 



THE PENIS 



The skin of the penis is thin ; its loose subcutaneous tissue is des- 

 titute of fat, and is quickly infiltrated and distended by serous or 

 urinary effusion. In case of a bulky hernia, or a large hydrocele, the 

 lax penile coverings are requisitioned to such an extent that the penis 

 is scarcely distinguishable in the full scrotal mass, its situation being 

 marked by a mere depression whence the urine escapes. The skin is 

 extremely movable, and in amputation of the penis it must not be 

 drawn too far forward, lest the body and root of the organ be denuded. 



Hermaphroditism, the result of arrested development : 

 a, a, halves of scrotum ; b, penis ; c, perineal 

 fissure ; d, urethral aperture ;f,f t mucous glands. 



