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In a groundbreaking autopsy, medical professionals discovered an extraordinary case involving a 78-year-old man who had lived with three penises throughout his life. Due to the intricate nature of his anatomy, it is quite plausible that he was completely unaware of this rare condition.
The phenomenon known as supernumerary penile formation, or the presence of multiple male genitalia, is estimated to occur in only 1 in every 5 to 6 million births. Interestingly, these additional organs often develop internally rather than being externally visible. This makes actual documentation exceedingly rare; experts who reported their findings in the Journal of Medical Case Reports noted that only 168 cases have been recorded since as early as 1606. Most instances were classified as complete diphallia (two penises), while around fifty were categorized as pseudodiphallia. Notably, just five reports did not specify the total number of organs present; however, the first documented case of triphallia occurred merely four years ago, involving an infant boy. The recent discovery marks the first instance of an adult exhibiting this unique anatomical feature.
According to coverage by Gizmodo, each penis displayed distinct anatomical characteristics. The primary organ contained a secondary structure housing three essential tissues: corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, and glans. A single urethra traversed both this primary organ and one other penis; however, the third lacked any connection to either urethra or corpus spongiosum.
The underlying cause for such unusual penile development is thought to be genetic mutations impacting androgen receptors during fetal growth stages. The authors speculate that this man’s condition may have arisen from three initial genital tubercles forming during development. Intriguingly, it seems that while a urethra initially developed within one secondary penis but did not fully mature there—it ultimately rerouted through what became his main penis.
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Due to this internal configuration described by researchers in their study paper, it’s conceivable that he remained oblivious about his condition throughout his life despite potential complications such as urinary tract infections or erectile dysfunction arising from it over time. Unfortunately for privacy reasons dictated by UK medical donation laws, little else is publicly known about him aside from basic details like age and physical traits.
At some point during his lifetime, he underwent surgery for a groin hernia—a procedure typically necessitating catheterization—where an atypical urethral shape could have posed challenges and possibly revealed hints about his unique anatomy. However no medical records indicate any awareness regarding triphallia at that time; thus it’s possible that everything went smoothly without complications related to this unusual condition due its benign nature and lack of overt symptoms.
The post Autopsy reveals astonishing discovery: man had three penises appeared first on Popular Science.
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