14,759
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
Revise text.
The '''foreskin''' or '''prepuce''' is the double-layered fold of smooth muscle tissue, blood vessels, neurons, skin, and mucous membrane part of the [[penis]] that covers and protects the glans penis and the urinary meatus.
The nature of the prepuce or foreskin, which is amputated and destroyed by circumcision, must be considered and fully understood in any discussion of male [[circumcision]].<ref name="cold-taylor1999">{{REFjournal
|issue=
|pages=291-5
|url=httphttps://onlinelibrarywww.wileyarclaw.comorg/doiwp-content/10.1046uploads/j.1464Taylor-Prepuce-SpecMucosa-BJU-410X.1996.85023.x/fullpdf
|quote=
|pubmedID=8800902
}}</ref> Taylor ''et al''. reported:
<blockquote>
The vascular ridges of the `ridged band' and its [[Meissner's corpuscles ]] firmly separate preputial epithelium from true skin and place preputial mucosa amongst other mucocutaneous mucosae. Winkelmann emphasized the structural and functional importance of junctional regions of the body and focused on mucocutaneous end-organs, or `genital corpuscles', of the glans penis and prepuce. Some of these end-organs resemble Krause end-bulbs; others resemble [[Meissner's corpuscles]]. … [[Meissner's corpuscles ]] of the prepuce may be compared with similar nerve-endings in the finger-tips and lips, which respond in a fraction of a second to contact with light objects that bring about deformation of their capsules. … The prepuce provides a large and important platform for several nerves and nerve endings. The innervation of the outer skin of the prepuce is impressive; its sensitivity to light touch and pain are similar to that of the skin of the penis as a whole.<ref name="taylor1996" />
</blockquote>
The [[ridged band]] area is found at the mucocutaneous junction. The ridged band area is characterized by rete ridges with Meissner’s [[Meissner's corpuscles ]] in the ridges.<ref name="taylor1996"/>
As with other neurologic structures such as the brain, the tip of the prepuce is richly supplied with blood by important vascular structures.<ref name="taylor1996"/> The prepuce serves as a conduit for several important veins.<ref name="fleiss-hodges-vanhowe1998">{{REFjournal
|accessdate=2019-10-14
}}</ref>
The tapered tip of a longer foreskin that protrudes beyond the [[glans penis]] is known as the ''[[acroposthion]]''.
==Physiological functions==
Taylor ''et al.'' (1996) carried out a histological study of the foreskin. (Histology is the microscopic examination of cells and tissues.) Taylor ''et al''. found an area of rete ridges just inside the tip of the foreskin that he called the [[ridged band]]. The ridges were found to have nerve endings at the top of the ridges. They report that the ridged band area moves to the shaft of the penis when the penis becomes erect where the nerves are subject to stimulation. They stated:
<blockquote>
The prepuce provides a large and important platform for several nerves and nerve endings. The innervation of the outer skin of the prepuce is impressive; its sensitivity to light touch and pain are similar to that of the skin of the penis as a whole.<ref name="taylor1996" />
</blockquote>