The Penis Flashcards
What passes down the penis?
- the urethra
What does the penis consist of?
- special spongy tissue (erectile tissue)
What is there running the length of the penis?
- three sections of erectile tissue
Where are the sections of erectile tissue situated?
- two sections are situated on the dorsal side
- one section is situated on the ventral side
Which sections of erectile tissue are situated on the dorsal side of the penis?
- the corpus cavernosa
Which section of erectile tissue is situated on the ventral side of the penis?
- the corpus spongiosum
What is the primary mechanism that brings about an erection?
- the dilations of dorsal and central arteries supplying blood to the penis
How does the dilation of the dorsal and central arteries supplying blood to the penis bring about an erection?
- the dilation allows more blood to fill the three spongy erectile tissue chambers
- causing the penis to lengthen and stiffen
What is unable to occur without an erection?
- without an erection, sperm cannot be transferred to the female’s vagina during sexual intercourse
What is the function of the penis?
- to deposit semen with sperm into the female’s vagina during copulation
What is distinctive about the human penis in terms of the erectile bone?
- the human male is the only mammal that has no erectile bone in the penis
- it relies entirely on engorgement with blood to reach its erect state
What is distinctive about the human penis in terms of attachment to the abdominal wall?
- the human penis is not attached to the abdominal wall but hangs free
- this is in contrast to most other mammals, where the penis is stored internally until erect
What is the erectile bone found in other mammals known as?
- the baculum
