Identifier: americanjournalo32thor (find matches)
Title: The American journal of the medical sciences
Year: 1827 (1820s)
Authors:
Subjects: Medicine
Publisher: (Thorofare, N.J., etc.) Charles B. Slack (etc.)
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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st containing about four drachms of milky fluid attachedto the head of the epididymis in both testicles. At my request Mr. Quekettinserted a tube into the vas deferens, and injected the glands with mercury.The metal passed into the epididymis, and escaped freely into the cyst attachedto it in both organs. The ducts of the epididymis, loaded with mercury, werefound ramifying over the walls of the cyst, having been drawn out and ex-panded by the growth of the hydrocele. On examination of the interior of thecysts, the open mouth of the duct from which the mercury had escaped wasdistinctly visible. There was an oval opening in the membrane of the cyst,the edges of which were even and rounded, and at a point in the centre ofthis opening globules were seen escaping from a minute aperture in one ofthe ducts. The open mouth of the duct, into which a bristle has been passed,may be distinctly seen in the preparation. The examination of these two testicles affords the true solution of the diffi-
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A. Vas deferens. C. Testicle. D. Epididymis, with the ducts expanded over the cyst. E. Cyst. culty which has hitherto existed in satisfactorily accounting for the presenceof spermatozoa in encysted hydroceles. It appears that as the hydrocele in- 214 Bibliographical Notices. (July creases in size, the delicate tubes are drawn out and extended over the cyst, aposition in which they are peculiarly exposed to accidental rupture. That theopening was of old standing, and not produced by the pressure of the columnof mercury, is shown by the character of the aperture. It may be objectedthat if such a patent opening existed, the hydrocele should go on steadily in-creasing from the ingress of the spermatic fluid, and not remain stationary, aswe often witness in these cases. We can readily conceive, however, that inthe full distension of the cyst, the ducts would be so compressed and obstructedas to cause the seminal fluid to flow through the other efferent tubes. If thehydrocele were emptied b

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