THE MALE GENITAL SYSTEM AND CIRCUMCISION

THE MALE GENITAL SYSTEM 

Sperm are produced in the testicles, each of which is about two inches long, one inch wide, and less than one inch thick. In man, unlike many animals, sperm production is continuous. Each spermatozoon, when formed, is complete with head, neck, middle piece, and tail. It is jostled along by the production of other sperm until it reaches the epididymis. 

Within this lump of tissue, which sits astride the testicle, sperm mature and gain motility? The motility and ability to fertilize endure for several weeks, after which a sperm cell, if it has not been emitted, degenerates and liquefies. In emission, sperm travel up a tube, the vas deferens. Seminal vesicles produce a yellow fluid which mixes with sperm and constitutes much of the semen; the prostate also contributes a secretion. 

The mixture is ejaculated down the urethra along the penis. In an ejaculation, there may be 300 million or more sperm. Prior to birth, the testes of a boy baby lie within the abdominal cavity. At birth, they descend through the inguinal canal into the scrotum. (If they fail to descend, as sometimes happens, they can usually be surgically placed in the proper position.)

It is because of this passageway, the inguinal canal that rupture (hernia) occurs so much more often in men than in women. You should consult your physician if you notice a bulge in the groin toward the upper part of the scrotum or in the lowest part of the abdomen just above the tight cord that separates it from the thigh. 

Don't listen to people who may tell you to wear a truss. Only a physician is capable of deciding between the relative merits of an operation and a truss in a particular case of hernia. Is circumcision necessary? This operation removes the skin fold called the foreskin or prepuce. It may be necessary if the fold covers the entire end of the penis (the glans) and obstructs passage of urine, or is so tight that irritation results. Otherwise, circumcision is a matter of choice. Some groups have used it for millennia.

The Egyptians practiced circumcision before the Hebrews made it a part of their religious customs. Circumcision is safe and simple when performed in accordance with principles of modern aseptic surgery. It can be performed late in life but is best done when a boy is seven or eight days old and will experience no physical or emotional discomfort. Talk the matter over with your family physician or pediatrician. 

Circumcision does not alter the sexual act or its enjoyment. Some believe that the greater freedom of married Jewish women from cancer of the womb is due to circumcision of their mates and resulting increased cleanliness of the penis. For the uncircumcised, healthy practice is to scrupulously wash foreskin and glans of the penis regularly, and especially before intercourse.