REPRODUCTIVE: ORGANS IN THE MALE. 291 



long, slender artery that joins the spermatic cord 

 as the latter passes through the inguinal canal. As 

 the vessel approaches the testicle, it sends branches 

 to the epididymis and then divides into other 

 branches that ramify among the seminiferous 

 tubules. The vas deferens receives a slender 

 branch from one of the vesical arteries. This is 

 called the artery of the *vas deferens, and reaches as 

 far as the testis, where it anastomoses with the 

 spermatic artery. 



The spermatic veins begin in the testis and epi- 

 didymis and pass out at the posterior border of the 

 organ, where they unite into large veins that form 

 a plexus along the spermatic cord. Inside the abdo- 

 men this plexus unites to form a single trunk, the 

 spermatic 'vein, which on the right side opens into the 

 vena cava, and on the left side into the renal veins. 



The lymphatics are very extensive and accompany 

 the veins. They terminate in the lymphatic glands 

 which encircle the large blood-vessels in front of the 

 vertebral column. 



The nerves are derived from the sympathetic 

 system. There is a spermatic plexus that accom- 

 panies the spermatic artery, and some fibers from the 

 hypogastric plexus that accompany the artery of the 

 vas deferens. 



THE PENIS. 



The penis is a vascular organ composed principally 

 of two corpora cavernosa, one corpus spongiosum, 

 which encloses the urethra, and the glans, which is 

 really the distal end of the corpus spongiosum. 



The integument of the penis is very thin and loosely 



