An extraordinarily rare case has come to light that has surprised everyone. A man who died at the age of 78 was born with three penises and he never knew about it.
According to scientists, this is only the second time, and various aspects of this bizarre case are one of a kind. This unique anatomical feature was accidently found a white male who died without knowing about his congenital anomaly in life.
According to a report by Science Alert, the man donated his body to science. His extraordinary anatomy was discovered only upon post-mortem examination by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK were two extra penile shafts discovered hiding underneath the man’s skin, near his main external sex organ.
Of all the reports of multiple penises published in scientific literature between 1606 and 2023, researchers could find just 112 case studies that describe complete ‘diphallia’ or a double penis, Science Alert reported. Only one other report describes a triple penis or ‘triphallia’, and this previous case was obvious from the outset.
In 2020, researchers in Iraq described the anatomy of a 3-month-old male child, who had a 2-centimeter-long (just under 0.8 inches) glans attached to the root of their main penis beneath the perineum, as well as a third glans roughly a centimeter in size just below their scrotum, as per Science Alert. Both external appendages were surgically removed.
According to researchers, in this case the triphallia is quite different. Although, the main and external genitalia appeared normal, however, upon postmortem analysis, two interior and inferior penises were discovered “concealed within the scrotal sac”. They were found as the hanging part of the scrotum and at the base of the main penile shaft.
“Without any symptoms and additional medical needs, concealed internal penises may not present themselves, preventing diagnosis,” explain the authors of the report, led by final-year medical student John Buchanan at the University of Birmingham as quoted by Science Alert.
The author concluded that “polyphallia may be more prevalent than currently understood.”
According to the scientists, the presence of a hidden, additional penis can create issues when it comes to inserting a catheter, imaging the urethra, or doing surgery in the area. Reportedly, polyphallia is thought to occur in one in every 5 to 6 million live births. The scientists maintain that internal cases can potentially remain hidden for the entire length of a person’s life, resulting in unexplainable symptoms related to urination, erections, or male fertility.
The researchers of Birmingham found six reports of internal penis formation among previously published cases of diphallia, where the extra shaft is concealed within the skin. When discovered, however, these anomalies are usually left alone if asymptomatic.
In the current case of triphallia, the identity of the donor was kept anonymous, so it’s unknown if the man reported any related symptoms during his life. The researchers believe that the man may have experienced difficult or painful erections, due to the potential for his internal penises to become enlarged with blood.
It was also found that the same urethra in the primary penis took a “meandering course” through this secondary penis first. The scientists are not sure how that tortuous path came about, but during typical male development, a form of testosterone prompts growth from a ‘genital tubercle’. In this case, that tubercle might have accidentally tripled.
“Due to the tortuous nature of the urethra, a urinary catheter would have proved challenging to pass,” the authors write.
“If the defect had been noticed during his life it may have simply been left untouched due to the apparent lack of symptoms and its benign nature.”
The study was published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports.