The external sac of skin enclosing the testes in most mammals.
[Latin scrōtum.]
scrotal scro'tal (skrōt'l) adj.
scrotum
Dictionary:
scro·tum (skrō'təm)  |
n., pl., -ta (-tə), or -tums.
The external sac of skin enclosing the testes in most mammals.
The external sac of skin enclosing the testes in most mammals.
| World of the Body: scrotum |
To quote a 1940s edition of Gray's anatomy: ‘The scrotum forms an admirable covering for the protection of the testes. These bodies, lying suspended and loose in the cavity of the scrotum … are capable of great mobility, and can therefore easily slip about within the scrotum, and thus avoid injuries from blows or squeezes.’ Indeed so. Modern anatomical texts have lost a certain poetry.
The skin of the scrotum is exceptionally thin and ‘beset with thinly scattered, crisp hairs …’ but the whole pouch is thickened by an underlying sheet of involuntary muscle (dartos), closely linked to the skin, and responsible for its corrugated appearance. This muscle layer is continuous with a septum, which divides the scrotum into compartments for the two testes and their spermatic cords; it is ‘separated from the subjacent parts by delicate areolar tissue upon which it glides with the greatest facility’. These subjacent parts are a fibrous capsule, and then a serous (fluid-secreting) membrane, which slides upon (and is continuous with) a membrane covering the testis. These membranes form a closed, fluid-lined sac, like a deflated balloon, that sometimes swells up to become a hydrocele. The cremaster muscle links the lowest part of the abdominal wall above the groin to these coverings of the testis, and can retract it upwards: this occurs reflexly when the inner thigh is stroked.
The contents of the scrotum have descended into it, usually before birth, from the abdominal cavity. The route was through the inguinal canal at the groin. Each testis dragged after it a string of elongating vessels and nerves and the vas deferens; these constitute the spermatic cords. Each cord maintains its connection with the abdominal cavity via the canal, whence the vas joins the urinary tract below the bladder. Because the inguinal canal breaches the muscular and fibrous integrity of the abdominal wall, it can become further weakened and expanded, allowing abdominal contents to extrude through it as an inguinal hernia. A large hernia can extend right down into the scrotum.
In the early weeks of fetal life, before gender differences are apparent, there is a labioscrotal swelling on each side; these swellings join up to develop into the scrotum when maleness is genetically ordained.
— Sheila Jennett
| Health Dictionary: scrotum |
(skroh-tuhm)
The external pouch or sac located behind the penis. The scrotum contains the testes. (See reproductive systems.)
| Veterinary Dictionary: scrotal |
Pertaining to scrotum.
- s. abscess — usually the result of infection at the time of castration and absence of drainage from the site. May be accompanied by extensive local cellulitis.
- s. anomalies — include aplasia, congenital cleft and bifurcation.
- s. circumference — an essential part of the examination of a ruminant male for breeding soundness. A special tape is used and the measurement taken at the point of greatest diameter of the scrotum and contents—usually within the range of 13.5 to 16 inches is considered normal for adult bulls.
- s. fat — fat accumulates in the scrotum of most fat males; it is most obvious in castrates.
- s. mange — chorioptic mange.
- s. myiasis — blowfly strike of a recently castrated ram lamb.
| Wikipedia: Scrotum |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
| Scrotum | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The scrotum. On the left side the cavity of the tunica vaginalis has been opened; on the right side only the layers superficial to the Cremaster muscle have been removed. | |
| Gray's | subject #258 1237 |
| Artery | Anterior scrotal artery & Posterior scrotal artery |
| Vein | Testicular vein |
| Nerve | Posterior scrotal nerves, Anterior scrotal nerves, genital branch of genitofemoral nerve, perineal branches of posterior femoral cutaneous nerve |
| Lymph | Superficial inguinal lymph nodes |
| Precursor | labioscrotal folds |
| MeSH | Scrotum |
In some male mammals the scrotum (also referred to as the cod) is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals, the base of the scrotum becomes covered with curly pubic hairs at puberty. In common speech, the scrotum is often improperly referred to as the testicles, which actually refer to organs encased inside the scrotum. The scrotum is homologous to the labia majora in females.
Contents |
Function
The function of the scrotum appears to be to keep the testes at a temperature slightly lower than that of the rest of the body. For human beings, the temperature should be one or two degrees Celsius below body temperature (37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit); higher temperatures may be damaging to sperm count. The temperature is controlled by the scrotum moving the testicles closer to the abdomen when the ambient temperature is cold, and further away when it is hot. Moving the testes away from the abdomen and increasing the exposed surface area allow a faster dispersion of excess heat. This is done by means of contraction and relaxation of the cremaster muscle in the abdomen and the dartos fascia (muscular tissue under the skin) in the scrotum.
However, this may not be the main function of the scrotum. The volume of sperm produced by the testes is small (0.1-0.2 ml).[clarification needed] It has been suggested that if testes were situated within the abdominal cavity that they would be subjected to the regular changes in abdominal pressure that is exerted by the abdominal muscles. This squeezing and relaxing would result in the more rapid emptying of the testes and epididymis of sperm before the spermatozoa were matured sufficiently for fertilization. Some mammals--elephants and marine mammals, for example--do keep their testes within the abdomen and there may be mechanisms to prevent this inadvertent emptying.
Contraction of the abdominal muscles, and changes in intra-abdominal pressure, often can lift and lower the testicles within the scrotum. Contraction of the muscle fibers of the dartos tunic (or fascia) is completely involuntary and results in the appearance of increased wrinkling and thickening of the scrotal skin. The testicles are not directly attached to the skin of the scrotum, so this dartos contraction results in their sliding toward the abdomen. They also, in some men, can be lifted the same way by tightening the anus and pelvic muscles, doing Kegel exercises.
Although the ideal temperature for sperm growth varies between species, it usually appears, in warm-blooded species, to be a bit cooler than internal body temperature, necessitating the scrotum. Since this leaves the testicles vulnerable in many species, there is some debate on the evolutionary advantage of such a system. One theory is that the impregnation of females who are ill is less likely when sperm is highly sensitive to elevated body temperatures.
An alternative explanation is to protect the testes from jolts and compressions associated with an active lifestyle. Animals that have 'stately' movements - such as elephants, whales, and marsupial moles - have internal testes and no scrotum.[1]
Health issues
 |
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (June 2008) |
A common problem of the scrotum is the development of masses. Common scrotal masses include
- Sebaceous cyst, also called an epidermal cyst
- hydrocele
- hematocele
- spermatocele
- varicocele
Other conditions include:
- contact dermatitis: may cause redness, burning, swelling, and itching of the entire scrotum. Can result from soaps, solvents, detergents, and natural irritants such as poison ivy.
- inguinal hernia
- yeast infection
- swelling resulting from conditions external to the scrotum, including:
- heart failure
- kidney or liver disease
- Cherry angioma
References
Additional images
 Structure of the male genitalia. |
 Vertical section of bladder, penis, and urethra. |
 The superficial branches of the internal pudendal artery. |
See also
 |
Look up scrotum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Scrotum |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - skrotum, pung
Français (French)
n. - scrotum
Deutsch (German)
n. - Hodensack
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ανατ.) όσχεον
Português (Portuguese)
n. - escroto (m) (Anat.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - escroto
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - testikelpung, skrotum
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
阴囊
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 陰囊
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ألصفن, وعاء ألخصيتين
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - כיס האשכים
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Learn More
 | genitalia |
| testes |
| oscheitis |
 | Does a scrotum get sore? Read answer... |
| What is the purpose of the scrotum? Read answer... |
| How do you wax your scrotum? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Angiokeratoma of the scrotum? |
| Can you stretch your scrotum? |
| Botox to the scrotum? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Health Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Scrotum". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
