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Penis Anatomy
We don’t know which
sounds better, penis or phallus.
The word penis comes from Latin which means tail, although one would
hardly think of it as a tail. A dowel, perhaps, but not a tail.
If you were taking an exam on the anatomy or structure of the penis, you
may want to bone up on your Latin spelling because the human penis is
certainly cloaked in Latin terminology.
Did you know, for example, that a penis, ironically, has no
baculum? That means no erectile bone. Again, it seems like a
contradiction of sorts, especially when the penis is composed of
three – yes three - columns of erectile tissue. How do all these columns
of tissue stay erect when there are no bones – baculum – to support it?
Speaking of erection – an erect penis is the opposite of a flaccid
penis. When a penis is in a flaccid state, it points south – or to use
an easier term – it points downward. When it is erect, many penises turn
upwards or north – but some variably point vertically, or a little
between north and east or between north and west. Much of the direction
of a penis when erect depends on the suspensory ligament that
holds it in position. A penis’ erection occurs as a result of
sexual arousal or stimulation, and achieves erection when the arteries
that supply blood to the penis begin to dilate.
Returning to the anatomy of a penis, we said earlier that it has
three columns of erectile tissue:
- Two corposa
cavernosa, and
- One corpus
spongiosum
And no, they’re not
your typical Latin prayers that you learned in grade school. The corpus
spongiosum lies on the underside or ventral area, while the two corposa
cavernosa lie on the upper side – or dorsal side.
Pausing here for a few seconds, you may be surprised to know that a
flaccid penis is not an indicator of its size at erection. This is a bit
difficult to digest, but it’s true. Flaccid size versus erect size
varies from one individual to the next, so we can’t really measure
flaccid penis size to determine what its erect size would be, give or
take a few inches (no pun intended). The average human penis size when
erect is five inches.
 Going back
to penis anatomy, at the end of the spongiosum is what is
called the glans penis which is a large, cone-shaped part. It is the
glans penis that supports the foreskin or prepuce – a loose fold of skin
that retracts to expose the glans.
The area found on the underside where the foreskin is attached is called
the frenum. The word almost rhymes with “freiner” (French word meaning
to break or to stop), and in fact refers to the small fold of tissue
that prevents any organ of the body from moving too far.
If we look for the last part of the urinary tract, we come across the
urethra; it crosses the corpus spongiosum. The meatus, on the other
hand, lies on the tip of the glans penis. It serves two functions: as a
pathway for urine and for semen ejaculation.
Ah, let’s not forget the sperm. Sperm is manufactured in the testes.
When a man ejaculates, the sperm propel towards the vas deferens. These
are the two ducts that pass behind the bladder. While the sperm is
moving, fluids get added by the seminal vesicles. The vas deferens then
turn into the ejaculatory ducts which join the urethra, located inside
the prostate gland. When the prostate and bulbourethral glands add
further secretions, the semen gets expelled through the penis.
If you’ve ever wondered what the clear fluids are before ejaculation
occurs, they’re called Cowper fluids or pre-ejaculate fluids and they
emanate from the bulbourethral glands.
Of course your partner does not have to know all these terms and
definitions while you’re intimate with her. Too much anatomy talk
can spoil the occasion. The idea is well…to keep the penis
vigorously healthy to achieve a sexually satisfying life.
What was that thing people were saying about how sex – in regular doses
- contributes to longevity?
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