1032 



THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 



over the rest of the body, is devoid of smooth muscular fi})res and subcutaneous 

 fat. It contains large sebaceous glands, which in the neighliourhood of the neck of 

 the organ secrete a whitish fatty odourous substance, the smegma praeputii. It 

 moves freely upon the subjacent parts except over the glans, where it is tirmly 

 adherent. At the neck it becomes peculiarly redundant, and forms a fold, the 

 prepuce, which more or less completely conceals the glans. The deei)er layer of 

 the duplicature, which is turned towards and is continuous with the skin of the 

 glans, is sometimes termed 'mucous membrane,' which it resembles only in the 

 absence of hairs and sudoriparous glands. A small median plication, the fraenum 

 praeputii, extends from the prepuce to the lower surface of the glans. This 

 contains vessels of some size, and, if ruptured, may give rise to considerable loss of 

 blood. The preputial orifice is usually large enough to allow the easy retraction of 

 the fold, but sometimes is congenitally constricted, and prevents the exposure of 

 the glans (phimosis). Owing to the composition of the prepuce by two layers of 

 integument, the removal of a complete ring as in the ordinary operation for phimosis 

 impedes the passage of the lymph and blood from the portion left attached to the 

 glans, and hence considerable infiltration of this part may result. 



The dartos is continuous with the dartos tissue (page 1023) of the scrotum, and 

 consists of smooth muscle, the fibres of which are for the most part disposed longi- 

 tudinally. It enters into the formation of the prepuce, and according to Sappey 



Fig. 627. — Transverse Section through the Body of the Penis. 



Superficial dorsal vein of penis 



fDeep dorsal vein 

 Dorsal artery 



SKIN 



DARTOS 



SEPTUM PECTINIFORME 



CORPUS CAVERNOSUM 



Fibrous sheath of penis 



Vessels 



TUNICA ALBUGINEA 



TUNICA ALBUGINEA 



Artery 



Artery 

 URETHRA 

 CORPUS SPONGIOSUM 



forms a kind of sphincter around the preputial orifice. Beneath the dartos is a 

 loose elastic connective-tissue layer containing the superficial vessels and nerves 

 of the penis, and very liable to infiltration in inflammatory or dropsical conditions 

 and in urinary extravasation. Beneath this lies the fascial sheath of the penis, a 

 complete and highly elastic tunic investing the entire organ as far as the base of the 

 glans, where it fuses Avith the integument. It is also adherent both to the skin and 

 to the corjuis spongiosum along the ventral raphe, and it covers the deep dorsal 

 vessels and nerves and the lateral tributaries Avhich converge to the dorsal vein. 

 This sheath, aided by the dartos and certain processes from the bulbo-cavernosi and 

 ischio-cavernosi muscles, compresses the veins of the penis. 



The suspensory ligament of the penis is a strong band of fibrous tissue which 

 passes from the front of the symphysis to the subjacent portion of the organ, blend- 

 ing Avith the fascial sheath in the middle line and at the sides, and continued into 

 the septum scroti below. The angle of the penis corresponds to the most ante- 

 rior point of sus{)ension to the symphysis. 



The corpora cavernosa ct)iistitute the dorsal and larger part of the penis. 

 They are closely united in the greater part of their extent, but separate a short dis- 

 tance in front and diverge somewhat widely behind. The ])osterior extremity of 

 each, called the crus penis, at first enlarges slightly, but tapers as it approaches 

 the subpubic arch; then, becoming tendinous and somewhat flattened, is strongly 



