ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE MALE GENITAL ORGANS.
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE MALE GENITAL ORGANS.
1. ANATOMY.
The external genitals of the human male consist of the penis and
scrotum, the latter containing the testes.
The _penis_ of the young man who has completed the stage of puberty
consists (1) of the two corpora cavernosa, as they are called, or
erectile bodies, called cavernosa because they contain numerous blood
sinuses which when filled cause the organ to erect. (2) Between and
beneath the corpora cavernosa lies the corpus spongiosum which
consists principally of the urethra. Around these three cylindrical
bodies there is a sheath of loose connective tissue, outside of which
is the skin.
About one inch of the distal end of the organ is differentiated into a
sort of head which is called the _glans_ over which, in the young
child, the skin is redoubled and called the _prepuce_ or foreskin. The
glans is covered and the prepuce is lined by mucous membrane. Over the
glans the mucous membrane is red, thin and moist and possesses
numerous nerve papillæ. The prepuce, as stated above, usually covers
the glans penis in young children and may do so throughout life. It is
sometimes adherent to the glans. This is abnormal, and as soon as it
is discovered the adhesions should be broken up by a physician. The
normal prepuce of the adolescent male should be free from the glans
and should be sufficiently loose easily to retract back of the glans,
a position it is likely to take in erection. If the prepuce extends
half an inch or more beyond the glans penis as a little flap of skin,
or if it is constricted at the opening so that it is difficult to
clear the glans or to replace the prepuce when it is once back of the
glans, the condition is not normal, and should have the attention of a
competent surgeon.
One can easily understand the need of a prepuce in the case of
primeval man, who was practically unprotected by clothing, but in the
present condition of civilized races the prepuce is certainly an
unnecessary appendage, and there are several good reasons why the
prepuce should be removed. This operation [circumcision] is not, in
any sense, to be looked upon as a mutilation, but simply a hygienic
measure made advisable, if not necessary, by the unnatural conditions
under which we are now existing.
Beneath the prepuce cheesy secretions from the glands back of the head
of the penis collect, and if the organ is not frequently cleansed
these accumulated secretions may serve as an irritant. Such local
irritation is one of the most prevalent causes of masturbation in
boys.
The removal of the prepuce in young children is an exceedingly simple
operation and not by any means difficult or dangerous in the adult. If
the prepuce is removed the organ will need no especial care, as
contact with the clothing will remove the secretions as they appear.
Furthermore, the glans penis becomes less sensitive and therefore less
subject to local irritation thus simplifying the young man's problems
in sexual hygiene.
The penis in its flaccid state varies considerably in size, due not
only to varying conditions of temperature but also to individual
peculiarities. The organ may vary between 2-1/2 inches and 6 inches in
length in the flaccid state and between 5 inches and 8 inches in the
erected condition. The size of the generative organs is not an index
of virility in the male.
The _testes_ are the male generative glands and are described as about
1-1/2 inches in length, 1-1/4 inches in width and nearly 1 inch in
thickness. The testes are contained within the scrotal sac, the
outside coat of which is a thin wrinkled skin, within which are four
thin coats. Next to the testes and enveloping the spermatic cord is a
thin covering which is carried down into the scrotum when the testicle
leaves the abdomen, where it is formed. This descent of the testes
from the abdomen takes place normally in the later weeks of
intrauterine life. The testes may, however, through some unusual
condition, be retained and make their descent months or even years
later. If the testes have not descended by the end of the age of
puberty, the advice of a competent surgeon should be sought.
{ TESTICULAR { SPERMATOZOA
{ CONTRIBUTION. { SEMINAL GRANULES
{ { MUCIN AND WATER
{
SEMEN { VESICULAR { ALBUMIN
{ CONTRIBUTION. { ALKALINE SALTS
{ (In quantity greater { WATER
{ than all the rest.)
{
{ PROSTATIC { PROTEINS
{ CONTRIBUTION. { ALKALINE SALTS
{ (Viscid and opalescent.) { WATER
[Illustration: Plate II Male Sexual Apparatus]
The outer coat of the testis is called the tunica albuginea. [See
Plate 2.] This tunic or coat sends fibrous partitions into the testis
which divide the organ into lobules, each one being conical in shape
with the apex directed towards the epididymis, which is that mass of
blood vessels and tissues which one can feel on one side of each
testis. Within these lobules the spermatozoa are formed by a complex
process of cell division and cell germination upon whose description
we need not enter here.
The _spermatozoon_ may be described as the male sexual cell whose
function is to fertilize the female ovum. The spermatozoon is about
1/20 of an inch in length and consists of a head, body and a vibratile
tail. In the human spermatozoon the head is ovoid, appearing
pear-shaped or pointed in one view and elliptical in another.
The _epididymis_ referred to above, consists of a mass of coiled tubes
and blood vessels. After the secretion passes through the tortuous
coils of ciliated tubes of the epididymis, it is collected into a
single tube called the _vas deferens_, which passes as a part of the
spermatic cord from the scrotum, up through the groin and over the
pubic arch into the pelvic cavity, passing down back of the bladder
where it is slightly dilated into an _ampulla_, beyond which the duct
is again contracted into a narrow tube, and the two ducts, one from
either side, converge and pass into the _prostate gland_, where they
empty into the _urethra_.
_The seminal vesicles._--The seminal vesicles are small bladder-like
organs supposed originally to contain the secreted semen collected
from the testes. There are two of these vesicles, from each a small
duct joins the vas deferens making up what is known as the
_ejaculatory duct_. The two ejaculatory ducts coming together in the
prostate gland open into the urethra. _The seminal vesicles possess
glandular walls and secrete the substance which they contain, no part
of the secretion of the testes normally finding its way into the
vesicles._
_The prostate gland, a portion of which is homologous with the female
uterus and called uterus masculinus_, is situated around the neck of
the bladder and is traversed not only by the urethra (prostatic
portion), but also by the ejaculatory ducts. There are numerous gland
ducts which--collecting the secretion of the prostate gland--open into
the urethra in the prostatic portion.
Just beyond the prostate are two small glands called _Cowper's Glands_
whose ducts enter the urethra some distance beyond the prostate, at
the root of the penis.
2. PHYSIOLOGY.
In the treatment of the physiology of the various structures just
described, we may well reverse the order of treatment, thus leading up
step by step to a consideration of the more important organs.
a. =Urethra.= The canal or duct of the penis is called the urethra,
and it is important in considering its physiology to remember that it
has not only a double function to perform, but that the performance of
one function in a measure temporarily unfits it for performance of the
other and makes it necessary for a special measure of preparation.
The urinary excretion from the kidneys collecting in the urinary
bladder is passed out periodically through the urethra. This same
channel must transmit periodically secretions from the sexual
apparatus.
b. =Cowper's Glands= secrete only under sexual excitement, and usually
they secrete only when the sexual excitement reaches a stage which
induces an erection. The secretion is composed of a clear _alkaline
mucus_.
The purpose served in the natural economy by this alkaline mucus is a
very important one and it is essential that every young man should
understand it.
It will be remembered that the male urethra affords passage not only
for the urine, but also for the generative products. The urine is
acid in reaction and the frequent passage of urine along the urethra
leaves that duct acid in reaction under usual conditions. The
spermatozoa are very sensitive to acid and their vitality is seriously
impaired by acid of any kind, particularly the acid of the urine.
Nature has provided that the secretion from Cowper's glands should
precede the generative products along the urethra, thus neutralizing
the acid and insuring for the spermatozoa an alkaline passage from the
body.
Besides this important function of the secretion from Cowper's glands,
the slimy transparent mucus appearing at the glans penis under sexual
excitement serves as a natural lubricant covering the glans of the
male organ. A secretion from the female similarly prepares her organs
for sexual contact so that the delicate mucous membrane, particularly
of the female organs, shall not suffer abrasion.
Many young men have experienced the appearance of the secretion from
Cowper's glands and wholly misunderstanding its nature have feared
that they were losing some vital fluid. This misunderstanding of the
nature of this fluid makes the young man especially subject to the
misrepresentations of the advertising quack and charlatan who allege
that he is losing vital fluid and will, if not treated, undergo
general debility and loss of procreative power. This brief
explanation of the significance of the secretion of Cowper's glands
will protect the young man from any such misrepresentations.
c. =The Prostate Gland.=--That the prostate gland is intimately
associated with reproduction is evident from the fact that in those
male animals that have suffered castration before puberty, the
prostate gland withers and practically disappears. What then is the
role that this gland plays? Like Cowper's glands, it secretes only
during sexual excitement. Under such excitement its ducts become
gorged with a secretion peculiar to it and at the moment of the
emission or the ejaculation of the semen the numerous ducts empty
their contents into the urethra to be mingled with and made a part of
the semen.
The secretion of the prostate is composed of a watery solution of
protein and of alkaline salts and so closely similar to the secretion
of the seminal vesicles that we will consider its action along with
that of the secretion from the vesicles.
d. =The Seminal Vesicles.=--_The seminal vesicles secrete
continuously._ The secretion is composed of an aqueous solution of
albumin and of alkaline salts. This secretion together with the
secretion from the prostate gland is poured into the urethra at the
moment of sexual orgasm; they become mixed in their transit through
the urethra with the secretion from the testes. This mixture is known
as semen. [See pg. 42.]
It used to be supposed that the semen was secreted wholly by the
testes; that the testes were secreting continuously and that the
seminal vesicles were receptacles for the gradually accumulating semen
from the testes. The researches of Steinach and others have made the
old theory untenable and demonstrate that the semen is a mixture from
three distinct sources; that the testicles secrete their contribution
to the semen only during sexual stimulation; while the seminal
vesicles secreting their products continuously become periodically
filled and distended.
Let us inquire regarding the function of this alkaline albuminous
secretion from the vesicles and prostate. For what purpose does Nature
prepare such a secretion? The spermatozoa frequently remain several
days in the organs of the female before the ovum is found and
fertilized. During these several days the spermatozoa are exerting no
small amount of energy in their vigorous flagellate movement. For such
an expenditure of energy they must receive nourishment and
stimulation. The nourishment is supplied by the albumin and proteid of
the vesicular and prostatic secretions. The stimulation is supplied by
the salts also secreted by these glands. The recent researches of Loeb
and others have demonstrated the importance of mineral salts in
stimulating the activity of living cells. One can cite no better
example of this stimulant action than the influence of these
vesicular and prostatic salts upon the activity of the spermatozoa.
The vesicles and prostate may be looked upon as the commissariat of
the army of spermatozoa; the vesicles accumulating a stock of supplies
to be drawn upon at short notice; the prostate representing a factory
where a considerable quantity of supplies can be prepared at short
notice.
This _periodic distention of the seminal vesicles_ is a matter of very
considerable hygienic importance and must be thoroughly understood by
every young man who would lead a normal sexual life.
These organs in common with all other organs of the body are supplied
with two sets of nerves, one set passing away to the spinal cord and
carrying messages which indicate the condition of the organ or the
presence and character of any local stimulus; the other passing away
from the spinal cord to the organ and carrying secretory and motor
impulses. The secretory impulses are more or less continuous and as a
result, these glands secret continuously and become periodically
distended as described above. The motor impulses pass to the muscles
within the walls of the vesicles, causing a strong spasmodic
contraction of these muscles at the moment of emission of semen, thus
throwing the contents of the vesicles into the urethra at the same
moment when the epididymis the vas deferens and the ducts of the
prostate are emptying their secreted contents into the urethra.
Now the sensory nerves passing from the seminal vesicles up to the
erection and emission centers are stimulated by any unusual pressure
within the vesicles. Unusual pressure may be caused either by
distention due to accumulated secretion or by pressure upon the
vesicles from over-distended rectum or bladder. It sometimes happens
that two or more of these influences are acting at the same time.
These impulses are most likely to be effective when the subject is
asleep, and particularly if he is lying upon his back. The result of
the stimulus is to cause an erection, accompanied usually by an erotic
dream, the whole phenomenon culminating in an emission of the contents
of the seminal vesicles and followed, of course, by a relief of the
pressure which was the cause of the condition. This phenomenon has
been variously called _nocturnal emission_, "pollution" and
"dreaming-off."
Vecki, a specialist in physiology, hygiene and pathology of the sexual
apparatus, says that the nocturnal emission is a normal physiological
phenomenon, the object of which is to relieve pressure in the seminal
vesicles, and that in normal cases it occurs in fairly regular
periods, these periods varying in length with different individuals,
according to their physical condition and habits, the period being two
to four weeks, usually; though a considerably longer or shorter
period would not be looked upon as pathological. Vecki describes the
normal nocturnal emission as being accompanied by an erection, erotic
dreams, and an orgasm, the subject being wholly unconscious of the
condition until he is awakened at the moment of orgasm. Normally, the
subject experiences on the following day a feeling of relief and
well-being and should, normally, be wholly free from headache,
depression or languor.
Inquiry among a large number of normal healthy men convinces the
author that it is not at all unusual for these emissions to occur as
infrequently as once in two months in normal healthy men. On the other
hand, it is not unusual for them to occur as frequently as once in ten
days or even once a week and still be within the physiological limit.
However, when the emission occurs as frequently as once per week, it
should be looked upon as abnormal if it is followed by depression,
headache or lassitude. Cases are not unusual in which the nocturnal
emission is experienced as often as three times in a week after which
there will be a period of two to four weeks without an emission,
followed again by very frequent emissions, and a free period. This
phenomenon is an individual peculiarity, and is not to be looked upon
as abnormal.
Cases of too frequent nocturnal emissions accompanied by languor and
headache are usually caused by irritability or lack of tonicity of
the sexual apparatus, particularly of the seminal vesicles and the
ducts. This irritability and loss of tone is not infrequently caused
by masturbation, though it may also be caused by excessive sexual
intercourse, making itself manifest, of course, in either case, on
cessation of the habit of masturbation or the excessive sexual
intercourse.
Another cause of too frequent nocturnal emissions and one wholly
separate from any abuse of the sexual function is irritability and
mechanical irritation of the sexual apparatus--perhaps especially the
membranous and prostatic portion of the urethra--caused by the
presence of an excessive amount of oxalates in the urine. Oxalates
occur in the urine in sharp angular crystals and would seem to be in a
high degree irritating to the tender mucous membrane of the upper part
of the urethra. The almost invariable presence of these crystals in
excess in those cases that have not been accounted for by abuse of the
sexual function leads one to adopt the plausible theory that the
crystals are the cause of the irritability. However, we must not lose
sight of the fact that these crystals may be simply an accompaniment
of the too frequent emissions, and that the presence of oxalates in
the urine may be caused by some disturbance in the nutritive processes
that go on in the body, which disturbance causes not only the
irritability of the sexual apparatus, but also the presence of the
crystals.
When the seminal vesicles are much distended it occurs not
infrequently that the passage of a hard mass of fecal material through
the rectum will, by simple mechanical pressure on the seminal
vesicles, force out a few drops, perhaps as much as a teaspoonful, of
the contents of the vesicles. This would be called an _involuntary
emission_, but the liquid passed out must not be looked upon as semen.
It is simply the secretion of the seminal vesicles, and in losing it,
one is not losing a vital fluid or a fluid, any portion of which would
be reabsorbed; he is simply losing a fluid which would, in the natural
course of events, have passed away within the next few days as a
nocturnal emission.
These details have been explained in order that the young man may
fully understand the physiology of his sexual apparatus and not be
disturbed by the advertisements or the pamphlet literature of
charlatans who make a business of frightening young men into the
belief that in these experiences they are losing "vital fluid"--that
they are victims of "lost manhood," or that they are entering into a
condition of "general debility" and "impotence." As an actual fact,
involuntary loss of vital fluid (spermatorrhea), is a rare case even
in the practice of specialists in genito-urinary diseases, and in
these rare cases, the condition is usually a result of very great
excesses, sexual debauchery or one of the sequelæ of venereal disease.
[Read: Appendix 1, 13 and 17.]
e. =Testes.= No rational idea of the physiology of the testes can be
given without laying down as a fundamental physiological law, that
_the testes secrete under sexual stimulation only_. This same general
principle applies to all glands, i.e., that they secrete only under
the influence of some special stimulation. In harmony with that law,
the testes secrete only under the influence of sexual stimulation.
The sexual stimulation may be sub-divided into two general categories,
i.e., conscious sexual stimulation and subconscious sexual
stimulation.
_Conscious sexual stimulation_ is partly psychical and partly
physical. The physical stimulation is produced by physical proximity
of a member of the opposite sex. The physical and psychical phases of
conscious sexual stimulation are so intimately interwoven that it is
exceedingly difficult to discuss one without constant reference to the
other, and it may be said in this connection that the psychical
attitude of the two individuals of opposite sex who are brought into
close physical proximity will modify very greatly their local sexual
responses.
Reverting to the lower animals: when a female in rut or heat is
brought into proximity to the male, there seems to be on the part of
each animal a consciousness of the character and attitude of the other
animal and both animals are step by step excited by various physical
contacts and probably also psychical conditions to a high state of
sexual excitement, leading to the natural ultimate result, coitus, in
which event the sexual excitement culminates in the orgasm of the
male, which empties the secreted semen into the organs of the female.
It will be easily understood that, in human subjects whose social
relations permit them to indulge in coitus, close physical proximity,
and various caresses lead, step by step in the normal course of nature
to sexual excitement and sexual desire which culminates as described
above for the lower animals.
To revert to the function of the testes, we may say that during these
various stages of sexual stimulation and excitement the testes are
actively secreting thousands upon thousands of nascent spermatozoa,
which being released, are hurried along, partly by their own
flagellate movements and partly by the action of the cilia in the
ducts of the epididymis and the peristaltic contractions of the vas
deferens--hurried along the vas to the ampulla. 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 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.
At the moment of sexual orgasm occurs what is known as, the emission
of semen. In this act the whole contents of the ampulla, vas deferens
and ducts of the epididymis, the contents of the seminal vesicles, and
the contents of the ducts of the prostate gland are all poured out by
spasmotic muscular contractions into the urethra and by contraction of
the walls of the urethra, ejected from that tube through the mouth of
the urethra. Thus, in the act of emission, there is an intimate mixing
together of the three contributions to the semen, i.e., the
_testicular, vesicular and prostatic_.
_Sub-conscious Sexual Stimulation._--Sub-conscious sexual stimulation
is not accompanied by erection or any mental or physical manifestation
of sexual excitement.
When a sexually mature individual is brought into more or less
intimate relations with a sexually mature individual of the opposite
sex under conditions where the secondary sexual qualities may have
free and unrestricted play, there can be no reasonable doubt that
both individuals experience a sub-conscious sexual stimulation which
will influence them both physically and psychically through
sub-conscious response of their sexual apparatus. One can easily
imagine, for example, that a young man may meet upon the skating rink
in winter a young lady for whom he has a very sincere admiration and
respect; she on the other hand entertains for him a similar admiration
and respect. They may skate together the whole afternoon and converse
upon politics, art or philosophy, the young woman feeling herself
swung along--almost actually carried on her companion's strong arm.
The whole experience is, in the highest degree, pleasurable and
exhilarating to her, yet she may be conscious of absolutely no sexual
stimulation. On the other hand, the young man experiences most exalted
pleasure in the company of his young lady friend--through the pressure
of her hand upon his arm, the lithe, graceful movement of body and
limbs, the smile, the light in the eye and the soft voice. All of
these give him an exquisite pleasure that he will be unable to
analyze, even if he were inclined to do so.
In his case, as in the case of the young woman, there has been
absolutely no conscious sexual stimulation; in the case of neither
individual has there been a thought of sex as such or of their sexual
apparatus, yet without a shadow of doubt, the sexual organs of both
individuals have been more or less active during this period--they
have been subject to sub-conscious sexual stimulation.
In the case of the male, his testes have been awakened into an
activity of probably considerably less degree than in the case of
conscious sexual stimulation, and during this activity of the gland a
certain amount of the secretion has been formed.
The most natural question at this point is--What becomes of this
secretion? It is not likely that any great number of spermatozoa are
released, those that are probably make their way along the vasa
deferentia to the ampullæ. The liquid secretion of the testes probably
does not leave the testes but is reabsorbed. While there are many
features of this mysterious influence of the testes which have never
yet been cleared up, this seems certain, that the testes elaborate
what may be called an internal secretion, and that the elaboration of
this internal secretion is influenced by such stimulation as has just
been described above, under the head of sub-conscious sexual
stimulation.
An _internal secretion_ is a secretion formed by a gland, to be poured
into the blood or lymph system, while an _external secretion_ is
poured out through ducts to the exterior. The thyroid and adrenal
glands form internal secretions only, which secretions, poured into
the blood and lymph, profoundly affect the nutrition of the body. The
salivary glands and gastric glands form external secretions only;
which, when poured upon the food, digest it. The liver, pancreas and
testes form both external and internal secretions. The external
secretion of the testes is that which is poured out in a sexual
emission, as described above; the internal secretion of the testes
consists of substances formed by the testes of sexually mature
individuals, which substances, poured into the blood, profoundly
affect the development of the individual and his whole physical and
psychical character.
VIRILITY.
The best example that can be cited of the effect of this internal
secretion is the male of the horse kind.
Most young men have seen either at horse shows or upon farms or
ranches pedigreed stallions. No person can see one of these splendid
animals without admiring, if not actually standing in awe of his
inimitable physical force, beauty of form and grace and power of
action. He is a physical ideal of the horse kind. What is the source
of his strength and beauty?
The physical features that one notes peculiar to the stallion are,
first, the great breadth and depth of chest, great mass of shoulder
and hip muscles, and the high arched neck, fiery eye and luxuriant
mane and tail. Second, the functional features next noticeable are
the greater alertness and evident physical exuberance as manifested
especially in the gait and the frequent whinnying. The thoughtful
observer at the horse show or on the ranch cannot but compare these
animals with the gelding.
Two colts on the ranch may be full brothers,--from the same pedigreed
stallion and the same pedigreed dam. At the age of two years these two
young horses may be as alike as two peas in a pod. One of these
promising young animals is chosen, because of some commendable
peculiarity of temperament or action, to remain unmutilated, as a
procreator of his kind upon the ranch. The other is subjected to the
veterinarian's knife and ecraseur and deprived of the testes,--the
male sexual glands. From the day of this operation these two animals
(in every respect alike, except that one is unmutilated while the
other is deprived of the glands mentioned above) develop along
radically different lines. The stallion develops during his third year
into the noble animal described above. This third year is his period
of puberty and the changes which he undergoes physically and
psychically are closely parallel to the changes which the human
subject undergoes during his period of puberty. The gelding, on the
other hand, develops into an animal that is in every respect a neuter.
Physically this animal develops a body almost identical with that of
the female of the same species. Temperamentally the gelding is a
patient, plodding, beast of burden, and though under good grooming he
may show considerable life, while under the control of his driver, he
seldom shows any interest in other members of the horse family, either
male or female, and in the pasture or on the ranch his neutral sex
temperament is ever apparent. While he may contend mildly for a place
at the feeding trough, he never essays the defense of any weaker
members of the herd, and one stallion would put a hundred like him to
flight.
The thoughtful observer of this phenomenon cannot help wondering what
has made this radical difference in the development of these two
animals. The solution is not far to seek. From the beginning of
puberty to the beginning of senile decay, the stallion derives from
the testes what is referred to above as an internal secretion.
Physiologists have endeavored to determine exactly what substance
formed by the testes is reabsorbed into the lymph and blood. It may be
a substance called _spermin_, but whatever the substance is, the
physiologists agree that _the testes form some substance which is
absorbed by the blood and lymph, is carried to the brain and spinal
cord and there produces these profound effects indicated above_. So we
have discovered the source of the stallion's strength and beauty.
What is true of the horse is true of man. The young man at puberty
begins to receive from his testes the internal secretion which leads
to the development of his full manly powers. The sum total of the
qualities peculiar to manhood has been called VIRILITY. For want of a
better word, this term has been applied to the sum total of the male
qualities of any animal whatsoever, so that the male qualities of the
stallion are also compassed in the term virility.
The thoughtful and inquiring young man will naturally wish to know at
this point if this lesson from the beast of the field can be applied
in all its details to the human subject; if man, without any
artificial or unnatural means would develop a full and complete
virility; if like the horse, he can maintain a strict continence for
months or even years without suffering any abatement of virility and
of physical powers in general. The unequivocal answer of the medical
profession to these questions would be in the affirmative.
An exact parallel to the gelding referred to above can be found in the
eunuch of the Orient. If the human male is castrated before puberty he
develops into a being as different from a virile man as the gelding is
different from the stallion;--a being whose physique resembles in many
respects that of a woman, and whose temperament manifests qualities of
cringing servility and lack of initiative.
The external secretion of the testes differs from the internal
secretion in containing spermatozoa; it may be that there are other
differences. It is, however, generally believed that one or more of
the substances found in the external secretion appear in the internal
secretion. If this is true, it must be evident that excessive sexual
indulgence or masturbation can draw away from the system this precious
vital substance that is necessary to produce or maintain the virility.
It cannot be assumed that the condition of virility once attained will
necessarily always continue--it must be maintained. To be maintained,
this vital substance produced by the testes must be continuously
absorbed into the blood. When once the man or boy understands this, it
must be evident to him that he has, to a certain extent, the making or
marring of his own virility; that it is not simply an inexhaustible
endowment of nature; but, like such a natural resource as a forest or
a coal mine, may be exhausted and will be exhausted if not husbanded
carefully.
It is a well known fact in the medical profession that the ovaries of
the female exert upon her development an influence analogous to that
which the testes exert on the development of the male. For that
reason, a surgeon should, under no condition, remove both ovaries
(sexual glands) unless they are diseased in such a way as to
necessitate their complete removal in order to save the life of the
individual. If a woman of twenty-five were to suffer the loss of both
ovaries, she would go very early into a condition of senile decay. If
a female before puberty is deprived of both ovaries, it leads her to
develop masculine physical characteristics and her temperament is
wholly lacking in those characteristics which, summed up, might, for
the want of a better term, be called FEMININITY.