GENERATION. 



iiali-; communicates permanently with the abdomen, as in 

 quadrupeds. Hence, xve fometimcs fee hydroceles partic\i- 

 iarly in children, where the fluid can be made to pafs into 

 the belly by prefTure. If a rupture occurs in fuch indivi- 

 duals, it is contained, together with the teftis, in the tunica 

 vaginalis. Sometimes the telles do not defcend before 

 birth ; when they pafs down after this time, a part of the 

 inteftine or omentum is liable to defcend with them, and is 

 of courle contained in the tunica vaginalis. One or both 

 ma)' be retained in the abdomen beyond the ufual period. 

 When the natural procefs has not begun, or has been inter- 

 rupted before birth, it becomes afterv/ards very uncertain 

 when the defcent will be completed. It takes place moll 

 frequently between the years of two and ten, while the per- 

 fon is young and growing, being feldom delayed beyond the 

 age of puberty. However, one or both of theie glands 

 mav be retained in the abdomen through life. In this cafe, 

 Mr. Hunter conceives thst th;-re is fome imperfection in 

 their formation. " I am inclined," fays he, " to fufpeft that 

 the fault originates in the tefticles themfelves." And again, 

 " when both teilicles remain through life in the belly, I believe 

 that they are exceedingly imperfeft, and ir.capable of perform- 

 ing the natural funftions of thofe organs ; and this imperfec- 

 tion prevents the difpofition for their defcent taking place." 

 The writer of this article has feen two cafes, where one 

 teftis had remained in the abdomen, and where the circum- 

 ftances afcertaiiied by anatomical examination corroborated 

 the opinion of Mr. Hunter. In one, the body of the gland 

 was liot more than half its ufual fize : the epididymis, which 

 was very imperfecT:, ran for about an incli behind the fac of 

 a hernia, which had occurred in this individual, and did 

 not ioin the body of the teftis. The other cafe prefented 

 exactly the fame appearances. A third inftance !i?.3 come to 

 his knowledge, in which both of the teftes remained in the 

 abdomen, but were formed apparently perTeft in their ftruc- 

 turc. In this cafe, it was underftood, that the ordinary 

 functions of the glands had been executed in a healthy man- 

 ner during the pcrfon's life. 



The times, at which the changes in poution already de- 

 ftribcd take place, are raoft accurately noted by Wrilberg 

 in the memoir above quoted. He gives a tabular arrange- 

 ment of his obfervations on this fubjctt, deduced from very 

 numerous examinations, of V\'hich the following account 

 contains the chief particulars. " At the age of one month 

 and three weeks, the teftes were clofe to the kidnevs, with 

 tlie f;nalleft poiTible interva) ; the fcrotuni loofe and osdema- 

 tous. At two months, the teftes, exceedingly fmall, touch- 

 ed the kidneys ; the gubernaculum very long, and the fcro- 

 tum wrinkled and rather hard. Two months and one week, 

 tefticles very near the kidneys ; fpermatic veffels difcernible 

 through the peritoneum, like very fine threads ; guberna- 

 culum diftinft. Three months, teftes about the fize of 

 hemp-feeds, placed rather further from the kidneys, and at 

 the edge of the pelvis. Three months one week and a half, 

 the fcrotum extremely fmall, and indeed fcarcely difcernible, 

 fo that the penis Imngfrom a flight prominence of the ikin. 

 The fmall inteftines coiled together in the upper part of the 

 abdomen, far from the teftes. The latter had defcended fur- 

 ther on the fide of the pelvis ; the gubernaculum very fliort. 

 Three months and three weeks, the Icrotum fmall and eon- 

 trafted : the teftes more than three lines below the kidneys. 

 Four months, the fcrotum very fmall i the teftes deeply 

 placed, with their inferior ends toucliing the rinifs. A dif- 

 tindt canal of peritoneum on the left fide, leading from the 

 cavity of the abdomen into the fcrotum, although the guber- 

 naculum was not yet inverted. Four months and one week, 

 the teftes very high, nearly touching the kidneys : the ga- 

 4. 



bernacula long ; no canal paffing through the ring, which 

 was perfeftly clofed. Four months and two weeks, the 

 teftes near the ring, with a canal of peritoneum on each fide, 

 paffmg to the bottom of the fcrotum. Five months and two 

 weeks, both teftes in the rings ; fo that they could not be 

 feen until prefTed towards the abdomen, when they appear- 

 ed readily. Eight months, fcrotum well formed, with its 

 furface wrinkled, but empty. T'le teftes had pafTed the 

 ring, but remained in the neighbourhood of the groin : the 

 right could be eafily puftied back into tiie abdomen through 

 the procefs of peritoneum, which was ftill open ; but the left 

 could not, as the communication was already clofed.. Nine 

 months, teftes in the bottom of the fcrotum ; the canal of 

 communication perfeftly clofed on tlie left fide ; it was ftiut 

 on the right by a foft cellular fubftance eafily yielding to the 

 probe. Nine months, both canals perfeftly clofed." 



From the foregoing facts, the following conclufions may 

 be drawn: ift. Before the beginning of tli- fixtli month 

 the teftis has not paffud the ring on either fide ; but gene- 

 rally i-emains near the kidney : fo that this fituatiun may be 

 depended on as a proof of the immaturity of a foetus. 

 2dly. Between the beginning of the fixth, and end of the fe- 

 venth month, they are generally found about the ring ; be- 

 ing in fome inilances above it, in fome witliin the canal, and 

 in others juft below, jdly. The fcrotum in the firft months, 

 up to the fixth, is fmall in proportion to the body, fome- 

 times loofe, fometimes harder, but always empty, and con- 

 taining cellular fubftance iuftead of the cavity, in which the 

 teftis is to be afterwards lodged. A broad and llrong faf- 

 ciculus of fibres (the gubernacolam) is contained in the- 

 midft of its cellular fubftance. 4thly. 'When the teftes have 

 firft defcended into the fcrotum, the canal of peritoneum 

 Hill opens to tlie abdomen, fo that they can be eafily drawn 

 back into the belly, and fink dov/n again. This is generally 

 practicable, in fostufes, between the 7th and 9ih months. 



The ordinary law of nature on this fubjeCt is, that the hu- 

 man fubjecl, born at the expiration of the full term of utero- 

 geftation, has both tefticles in the fcrotum. Hallcr's con- 

 trary ftatement, " ut rariflime fetus in lucem edatur, cum 

 tefticulis fcroto inciufis,'' (Element. Phyfiol. vol. 7. p. 413.) 

 has been completely difproved by the teftimony of fubfe- 

 quent obfervers. Whether the canal of communication be 

 generally clofed before birth, is a point on which authors are 

 not unanimous. According to Wrilherg, with whom Vicq 

 d' Azyr agrees, this is commonly the cafe. But the reprefen- 

 tation of Caliper is fome.vhat different : this anatomift and 

 Lobftein obferve, that the obliteration takes place earlier on 

 the left than on the right fide. Of 53 newly bora children 

 examined by Camper, 23 had the canal open on both fides, 

 1 1 on the right fide only, and iix on the left only. In fix it 

 was clofed on both fides. In four both teftes were contained 

 in the abdomen ; and in three only the right. 



In the excellent memoir of Wriftserg, idready referred to, 

 there is a table of 103 births obfervcd by himfelf, in which 

 the pofition of tlie teftes was carefully afcertained. The 

 proporijpn of premature to mature and perfeA births was as 

 9 to 94,, or in lound numbers i to 10. All the children, 

 whofe weight did not exceed 5lbs. came into the world at 

 the beginning of the ninth mouth, or in the eighth, or even 

 in the feventii month. Three of thcfe had both teftes in the 

 fcrotuni, three in the groins, and three in the abdomen ot the 

 children born towards the end of the ninth month, 69 had 

 both teftes in the icrotum, 17 one or both in the groin, eight 

 one in the abdomen, and three, whofe weights were 5I, 6J,. 

 and 71b;. both in the abdomen. In the 12 out of thefe 103 

 cafes, , where one or both teftes remained in the abdomen, 

 they were obfervcd tp defcend on the days mentioned below. 



