h in length and diameter of the penis. This is also accompanied by a change in the angle between the penis and the body, bringing the penis up towards the abdomen (Baldwin, 1991, p. 37).
At the tip of the penis is the glans, which is lined with a mucus membrane to keep the area moist and damp. The skin in this area is rich in nerve endings and very sensitive. The foreskin forms a thick, protective hood over the glans. It rolls back for urination. During erection, the foreskin rolls back to the corona (the area where the glans meets the shaft). The foreskin is surgically removed during circumcision.
The frenulum, a band of stringy tissue under the glans, stops the foreskin from rolling back too far. It has even more nerve endings than the glans, and the frenulum and corona are the most sensitive areas of the penis (Baldwin, 1991, p. 12). The external opening of the glans is called the meatus and leads to the urethra (p. 13).
The testes lie outside the body in a sac known as the scrotum, which lies behind the penis. The scrotum is divided into two compartments by connective tissue and muscle fibers, each compartment containing one testicle. Each testicle has its own spermatic cord, carrying its blood and nerve supply. The muscle fibers allow the scrotum to be pulled closer to the body in cold conditions and relax to allow it to lie further from the body in hot conditions. The testes lie outside the body in the scrotal sac because the temperature inside the body is too high for the sperm to remain viable (Baldwin, 1991, pp. 73-80).
The testes are the organs which produce sperm, the reproductive cells of the male, and androgens, the male hormones.
Ninety-five percent of the testosterone in the male is produced by the testes: the other 5 percent is produced by the adrenal glands. The testes also produce a small amount of estrogen, the female hormone.
Sperm are conducted through the epididymal tubes in t...