A dead man’s genitals turned out to be a medical wonder. In a recent case report, British doctors say they discovered a man had three penises, an incredibly rare condition. Amazingly, this man may have had no idea about his unique anatomy. Because the discovery was made only after his body was presented to science, and his external genitalia appeared completely normal.
This condition is known as triphalia. Doctors first recorded the condition in humans four years ago, in a 3-month-old boy from Iraq. This latest report, published earlier this month in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, is the second Triphalia case ever recorded, and the first to be found in an adult male.
The man was described as white, approximately 6 feet tall, of medium build, and 78 years old at the time of his death, according to the report. At first glance, the guy’s scum looked perfectly normal. However, when researchers dissected his corpse, they discovered that he had two separate penises inside him. Further investigation revealed that his urethra passes through both the primary and accessory penis. His second penis, although smaller in size than the first, contained the three major tissues of the penis: the corpus cavernosum, the corpus cavernosum, and the glans (head). The man’s third penis was located just behind the second penis and lacked a connection to the urethra along with the corpus cavernosum.
Just in case you don’t think so, the man’s main penis was about 3 inches long. However, this obviously lacks the typical stimulation of being alive and erect. His second and third penis were both about 1.5 inches long.
“This case report, based on an extensive literature review, describes a coincidental finding during the autopsy of the second reported human case of Triphaliasis that was distinctly morphologically different from the previous case.” write the researchers.
Generally, it is not unheard of for people to survive with extra organs, but most cases involve only duplicate organs. Multiple penises are usually thought to be caused by genetic mutations that affect androgen receptor expression early in development. Because the penis develops from tissue known as the genital tubercle, the male mutation may have tripled the size of the genital tubercle, the researchers said. Based on their analysis, his urethra actually developed from the secondary penis at first, but when it did not fully develop, the urethra changed course and developed through his primary penis instead.
Because of local cadaver donation laws, researchers were blinded to the man’s identity and medical history, limiting what they can learn about how his condition affected his life.
It’s certainly possible that the man and his girlfriend went on with their lives without suspecting anything was wrong, as nothing unusual was seen on the outside. However, it is known that multiple penises can cause problems such as urinary problems and erectile dysfunction. Researchers discovered that the man had at some point undergone surgery to repair an inguinal hernia. This surgery usually involves the use of a catheter. And given that this man’s urethra is tortuous, attempts to thread a catheter through it were likely difficult, which may have led to the discovery of his symptoms. Also, if his extra penis was erectable, it could have caused pain during sex.
Still, the researchers also speculate that if his defect had been noticed before his death, it may have simply been ignored due to the lack of obvious symptoms and its benign nature. Therefore, personally, I choose to believe in a happier version of events.
