INTERNAL MALE ANATOMY

The testes, or male gonads, are comparable to the ovaries of the female. Both testes are about the same size; and one of their usually the left one, hangs lower than the other one. Whether the lower one is the right or left one does not seem to be influenced by left- or right-handedness, ethnic background, etc. Like the ovaries, the testes perform two main functions: they produce sperm and they manufacture the male hormone, testosterone. The testes descend from the abdominal cavity into the scrotal sac during the seventh month of prenatal development. It is estimated that about four percent of males are born with undescended testicles (cryptorchidism). If this condition persists, it should be surgically corrected by the time the boy reaches the age of four or five.

Each testis is surrounded by a tight, whitish fibrous sheath (tunica albuginea) which divides the testis into many sections or lobules (small lobes). Each lobule contains several winding and tightly coiled seminiferous (sperm-bearing) tubules, the site at which sperm are produced. The cells which are engaged in the manufacture of testosterone are located between the seminiferous tubules and are known as the interstitial, or Leydig’s, cells.

It is the tunica albuginea which accounts for the sterility which may follow a case of mumps in the adult male. When the mumps virus involves the testicles, it causes them to swell. Since the tunica albuginea is tight and does not expand, the pressure of the swelling testicle crushes the delicate seminiferous tubules and impairs their ability to produce sperm. If an adult female contracts a case of mumps, there is no analogous problem because the ovaries are not enclosed in a comparable tight sheath; they swell up and then return to their normal size and functioning.

A male has approximately 1,000 seminiferous tubules, comprising an elaborate system which produces between about 100 and 500 million sperm daily. Each seminiferous tubule is one to three feet long and their combined length measures several hundred yards. Their convoluted and compact structure is a wonderful example of efficient design.

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INTERNAL MALE ANATOMYThe testes, or male gonads, are comparable to the ovaries of the female. Both testes are about the same size; and one of their usually the left one, hangs lower than the other one. Whether the lower one is the right or left one does not seem to be influenced by left- or right-handedness, ethnic background, etc. Like the ovaries, the testes perform two main functions: they produce sperm and they manufacture the male hormone, testosterone. The testes descend from the abdominal cavity into the scrotal sac during the seventh month of prenatal development. It is estimated that about four percent of males are born with undescended testicles (cryptorchidism). If this condition persists, it should be surgically corrected by the time the boy reaches the age of four or five.Each testis is surrounded by a tight, whitish fibrous sheath (tunica albuginea) which divides the testis into many sections or lobules (small lobes). Each lobule contains several winding and tightly coiled seminiferous (sperm-bearing) tubules, the site at which sperm are produced. The cells which are engaged in the manufacture of testosterone are located between the seminiferous tubules and are known as the interstitial, or Leydig’s, cells.It is the tunica albuginea which accounts for the sterility which may follow a case of mumps in the adult male. When the mumps virus involves the testicles, it causes them to swell. Since the tunica albuginea is tight and does not expand, the pressure of the swelling testicle crushes the delicate seminiferous tubules and impairs their ability to produce sperm. If an adult female contracts a case of mumps, there is no analogous problem because the ovaries are not enclosed in a comparable tight sheath; they swell up and then return to their normal size and functioning.A male has approximately 1,000 seminiferous tubules, comprising an elaborate system which produces between about 100 and 500 million sperm daily. Each seminiferous tubule is one to three feet long and their combined length measures several hundred yards. Their convoluted and compact structure is a wonderful example of efficient design.*115\265\8*

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