⭐ Patrick Star in a Sperm Tube 🍒
My favorite Patrick in honor of #stpaddysday☘️
Some say that Patrick Star and the male reproductive tract are fairly similar... but if you look closely there's actually a vas deferens.
i♡histo
This image shows the tube through which spermatozoa travel during ejaculation. It is called the vas deferens (ductus deferens).
Histologically it is unique because of its unique pseudostratified epithelium (surrounding Patrick...check out the unique regular beaded appearance of the basal cells in this epithelium) and its triple-layered smooth muscle wall - so thick you can actually palpate it within the spermatic cord within the scrotum. Patrick is actually within the empty space of the lumen of the tube (where the sperm travels).
Spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the testes and travel to the epididymis where they complete the maturation process. During ejaculation, a peristaltic wave of strong muscular contractions propel the sperm from the epididymis and into the vas deferens. This wave of peristalsis continues along the triple-thick muscle wall of the vas deferens eventually pushing the sperm out into the urethra. From here they have enough momentum to travel along the length of the penis before exiting exit the tube at the external urethral meatus (the fancy anatomical name for the hole at the end of the penis).
But sperm are not the only stuff that is ejaculated... at the same time as the sperm is moving along this pathway, the smooth muscle surrounding a number of glands also contracts which pushes their secretions into the urethra too at the same moment that the sperm is moving through it. These include secretions from the seminal vesicles (seminal fluid), prostate gland (prostatic fluid) and bulbourethral glands.
The final concoction that is ejaculated is actually a combination of sperm and all of these extra sperm-nourishing secretions and collectively it is known as semen.
Which brings us back to where we started with this sea-man - Patrick Star!
#histology #science #pathology #pathologists #anatomy #autopsy #patrickstar #spongebob #vasdeferens #malereproductive #stpatricksday #menshealth #premed #biology #medicaleducation #meded #nurse #nursing #medschool #medstudent #medicine #medlab #vetscience #vetschool #ihearthisto
