The surgical anatomy of the principal regions of the human body / by Thomas Morton and William Cadge.

  • Morton, Thomas, 1813-1849.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The surgical anatomy of the principal regions of the human body / by Thomas Morton and William Cadge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    panied in the whole of its course by a very small artery, which is a branch of the vesical artery. Near to its termination the vas deferens becomes considerably enlarged, and somewhat tor- tuous in its figure, and the calibre of the tube, which is extremely small in the greater part of its extent, here becomes much increased and sacculated in its figure, so as to present, when cut open, a honeycombed appearance. The external coat is of very great thickness; and so firm, that it is easy to distinguish the vas deferens from the other components of the spermatic cord by the hard wiry sensation which it communicates to the fingers when the cord is handled : internally, the vas deferens is lined with a delicate mucous membrane. The vesiculte seminales are oblong-shaped cellular bodies, situated one on each side of the base of the bladder, behind the prostate gland. They are enclosed in a sheath derived from the pelvic fascia, and lie in the interval between the convex sur- faces of the rectum and base of the bladder. Their exter- nal surface is very irregular, from the sacculated form of their interior, which is composed of numerous cells that communicate freely with each other. The larger extremity, which is di- rected posteriorly, is separated by a considerable interspace from the base of the opposite vesicula; while their anterior extremi- ties, which are narrow, and end in the ducts that join with the vasa deferentia, are only separated from one another by the breadth of these vessels, and by the middle lobe of the prostate gland when it exists. The structure of the 'external coat of the vesiculee seminales appears to be similar to that of the vasa defe- rentia, but is much thinner; the internal coat is composed of mucous membrane.* According to some authors, the vesiculae seminales form reser- voirs for the seminal fluid secreted by the testicles; though there are several points of difference between their contents, as found after death, and the semen itself. It was the opinion of John Hunter, that the vesiculse seminales did not receive semen from the vasa deferentia. The fluid which they contain is usually clear, of a viscid or glairy consistence, and of a darkish brown colour. The common seminal ducts (ducti ejaculatorii) are two in * Not long since, in examining the body of a man who died in the hospi- tal, we found the vesiculse seminales ossified. The preparation is now in the Museum of the College. D 2