Testis

“ In the male the testis is never paired. Sometimes it is single, sometimes divided into an anterior and a posterior mass, and sometimes merely constricted. It lies above the intestine in the posterior half of the body in the adult, but at least in the young in some cases, where as many as four divisions have been detected, its position is more lateral. ”

“ If no ovary is seen, but a very small blackish, or whitish, or particoloured object is found in its place which is suspected of being a testis, the intestines must then be gently separated from their attachments about the middle line of the back, and the other testis must be sought for in about the same position on the opposite side. ”

“ Still more interesting, however, is the difference between the genitalia in these and in the normal Polystomum. In contrast with the latter, these possess (1) one testis and a rudimentary penis; and their spermatozoa differ in structure and shape from those of the normal Polystomum. (2) The vaginae are absent, a fact connected with the absence of a functional copulatory organ. (3) In compensation for the loss of these, a duct connects the single testis and the point of union of oviduct and yolk-ducts, and by this self-fertilisation occurs. ”

“ On examination, he finds that the testicle is rather swollen and full, and very painful on being handled; the swelling quickly increases and becomes [39] hard, which hardness extends to the spermatic chord, presenting the feel of a rope, passing from the scrotum to the groin.
It is remarkable that when swelled testicle occurs, the discharge from the urethra, which, from previously being very profuse, and the scalding on making water, which was very severe, both suddenly diminish, or cease entirely, until the inflammation of the testis declines ”

“ The testes, or testicles, are a pair of flat, oval-shaped bodies, about one-and-a-half inches in length, enclosed in a sac of thin muscular tissue called the scrotum. The average weight of a testicle is about half an ounce. Its function is to prepare the principle elements of the sexual secretion, or semen, of which the most vital constituents are the spermatozoa. ”

“ They furnish the male seed. They are supported by what is called the Spermatic Chord, which consists of the spermatic artery that supplies the testicle with arterial blood, whence the semen is concocted; the veins that return the superfluous blood, and the tube that conveys the semen to the urethra. The testicles are [15] very liable to inflammation, and particularly to changes resulting from the wear and tear of human life—changes that not simply produce pain or inconvenience, but those whereby the power of the organs becomes partially if not wholly lost. ”

“ In the male the testes, epididymis, vasa deferentia, vesiculae seminales, prostate, penis and urethra. In the female the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina and vulva.
Male Reproductive Organs.
The testes or testicles are the glands in which the male reproductive cells are formed. They lie, one on each side, in the scrotum surrounded by the tunica vaginalis (see Coelom and Serous Membranes) . Each is an oval gland about one and a half inches long with its long axis directed downward, backward and inward. ”

“ The entire mixture is then propelled, and ejaculation produced by strong muscular contractions of the entire urethra. As was stated before, the semen is the product of the testicles, the excretory ducts, and the accessory sexual glands. The testes furnish the essential germinal elements, the sperms, and some of the fluid content. Then is added the product of the epididymis, vas, and ampulla, which stimulates the spermatozoa to active motility, nourishes the organisms, and adds somewhat to the fluid bulk of the secretion. ”

“ In the walls of the seminiferous tubules the spermatozoa are formed. The seminiferous tubules unite to form the efferent ducts (vasa efferentia) , about a dozen in number for each testicle; immediately passing out of the testicle, these efferent ducts make up the epididymis, situated at the upper and back part of the testicle. After numerous convolutions, these unite at length on each side to form a single canal, which leaves the epididymis under the name of the vas deferens; this is the excretory duct of the testicle, conveying the secretion of that organ to the exterior. ”

“ The testicles are two kidney shaped glands, not far from the size of a large hickory nut, and are contained in a sort of sack, or pocket, called the scrotum, which is made for their comfortable and safe carrying. The scrotum hangs directly between the thighs, at the base of the penis, and in it are the testicles, suspended by vital cords that are suspended from the body above. The left testicle hangs a little higher in the sack than the right, so that, in case the thighs are crowded together, one testicle will slip over the other, and so the danger of crushing them will be avoided. ”

“ If the period of sexual excitement extends over fifteen to thirty minutes, the whole duct system from the epididymis to the ampulla becomes gorged with the secreted testicular product. This [57] secretion consists of active motile spermatozoa, of spermatic granules and of mucus. The latter is secreted by the ducts of the epididymis and the vas deferens, the testicle itself furnishing only spermatozoa, spermatic granules and a small amount of liquid, just sufficient in quantity to float the spermatozoa out of the testes into the ducts. ”

“ The testes, epididymes, vesicles, prostate, and other parts, each contribute their essential part to the semen, abnormalities of any one of which, as a rule, result in interferences with reproduction. If the vesicles are involved, we must bear in mind just what is the part played by their secretion, and what is the probable result if their essential elements are not added to the semen. In like manner, we must consider the prostate, whose secretion stimulates the vitality of the sperms, and adds fluid bulk to the semen. ”

“ When the surgeon reaches the third step of the operation, and seizes the testicle with the right hand, in order to draw it downward and outside of the vaginal sac, he may encounter great resistance to his traction, from the powerful opposition of the white muscular tissue running along the posterior septum of the cord. He must then slowly and steadily draw the testicle down, and at a given moment, with a single stroke with a sharp pointed bistoury, divide the serous band of the posterior septum, cutting at once the muscular fibres, the efferent canal and the small testicular artery. ”

“ At the moment when the testicle forms an acute angle with the cord, the thumb of the left hand, resting upon the cord, comes into action to aid in the displacement by making a point d’appui upon the inferior extremity of the organ, which now occupies the superior position, in such a manner that the spermatic gland is placed parallel with the cord. The manipulations are completed by pushing the testicles upwards towards the inguinal ring, to break [64] up whatever adhesions of cellular tissue may remain. ”

“ THE METHOD BY THE CLAMPS.
This is an ancient mode of operating, having been transmitted to us through many ages. It has received the sanction of long practice, and, if not [40] absolutely superior to all others, is possessed of qualities and advantages which all who have employed it will freely acknowledge.
It is performed in two ways. One is the process of the covered, the other of the uncovered testicle. The covered operation is that in which only a portion of the testicular envelopes are divided, the scrotum and the dartos, the gland being left covered with the other envelopes. ”

“ The natural seminal secretion, semen, or sperma, after its production in the testicle, is carried out thru a long seminal duct, which, when unraveled, measures 21about twenty feet long, but in a natural condition is twisted and folded on itself many hundred times, forming a bundle-like swelling in the back of the testicle—epididymis. ”

“ In the child, the testicles are considerably smaller; smaller also are the penis and the other genital organs. In the adult, the root of the penis is surrounded by the pubic hair; this hair is absent in the child. The most important distinctive characteristic, however, lies in the fact that in the child the morphological elements upon which the capacity for procreation depends, namely, the spermatozoa, are not yet present in the testicles. The spermatozoa first make their appearance during that year of life which is usually regarded as the year of the puberal development. ”

“ The proper performance of coitus depends upon the potentia coeundi of the male; the attainment of conception depends upon his potentia generandi. The potentia generandi demands from the man the functional competence of the testicles, the perviousness of the seminal passages (namely, of the vasa deferentia and the urethra) , the secretion of a normal semen, and, finally, a proper formation of the penis, whereby during ejaculation the semen may be deposited in sufficient proximity to the os uteri externum. ”

“ The Testicles. Location.—The testicles are located in the sublumbar region of the abdominal cavity, behind the lungs, below the anterior extremity of the kidneys, and opposite the last three ribs.
Fig. 54.—The pelvic organs of a cockerel. A, Testes. B, Rectum. C, Cloaca. D, Vas deferens. E, Kidney. F, Adrenal gland. G, Lungs. H, Ureter.
Shape.—The testicles are ellipsoid in shape; their size varies with the different species of birds. The two in the same bird are usually of the same size, though one testicle may be slightly larger than the other. ”

“ Beyond question we are justified, from the information at our disposal, in concluding that the prostate gland begins to secrete comparatively late. But, on the other hand, it is equally clear that certain glands whose secretion in the adult forms part of the semen, begin to secrete long before any spermatozoa have been formed in the testicles, and may in this way give rise to the formation of a semen incapable of fertilising the ovum. ”

“ In most of the lower orders of animals there is a periodical development of the testicles in the male, corresponding in time with that of the ovaries in the female. As the ovaries enlarge and the eggs ripen in the one sex, so in the other the testicles increase in size, as the season of reproduction approaches, and become turgid with spermatozoa. The accessory organs of generation, at the same time, share the unusual activity of the testicles, and become increased in vascularity and ready to perform their part in the reproductive function. ”

“ We must now proceed to ask whether it is possible for ejaculation to occur in children at a time of life when the formation of spermatozoa in the testicles has not yet begun; this question must be answered with an unconditional affirmative. We have seen that the secretions of several other glands intermingle with the secretion of the testicles. These glands are the following: the prostate gland, the glands of the vesiculæ seminales and the vasa deferentia, the glands of Cowper, and the glands of Littré. ”

“ I am myself especially moved to adopt this opinion, as well by numerous reasons which will be adduced elsewhere, as by the fact that in the rutting season, when the testes of the buck and hart enlarge and are replete with semen, and the cornua of the uterus of the hind and doe are greatly changed, the female testicles, as they are called, whether they be examined before or after intercourse, neither swell nor vary from their usual condition; they show no trace of being of the slightest use either in the business of intercourse or in that of generation. ”

“ The testicle is then numbered amongst the abdominal viscera, and, like these, it is developed external to the peritonaeal membrane, which forms an envelope for it. At the back and sides of the testicle, where the peritonaeum is reflected from it, a small membranous fold or mesentery (mesorchium, Seiler) is formed, and between the layers of this the nerves and vessels enter the organ, the nerves being derived from the neighbouring sympathetic ganglia (aortic plexus) , while the arteries and veins spring directly from the main abdominal bloodvessels. ”

“ In nature, just as there is nothing lacking, so is there nothing superfluous; and thus it happens that the organs of generation wither away and are lost when there is no longer any use for them.
At the period of coitus in the hare and mole, the testicles{542} of the male become visible, and in the female the horns of the uterus appear. In truth, it is most marvellous to see what an enormous quantity of semen is contained in full-grown moles and mice at those times, whilst at others no semen can be seen, and the testicles are shrunk and retracted. ”

“ The ejaculatory ducts are about three quarters of an inch in length, extending upward from the base of the prostate.
The Seminal Fluid. The seminal secretion, or semen, is a whitish, albuminous fluid of characteristic odor. It contains a number of elements, the most important of which are the spermatozoa. These are small, pollywog-shaped bodies, about 1/500 of an inch in length, with triangular, flattened heads and whip-like tails, upon which they depend for their power to propel themselves. When alive and healthy, they are continually in rapid motion. ”

“ Semen which contains no spermatozoa, or in which the spermatozoa are motionless, is absolutely devoid of fertilizing power; in the case of such semen, it makes no difference whatever that the external genitals of the man generating it are strongly formed, that his testicles are of normal size, and that erection and ejaculation take place promptly. Of very little value, though not absolutely sterile, is semen containing very few living spermatozoa, or, among very numerous motionless spermatozoa, containing a few only that are engaged in active movement. ”