A British man lived to 78 years old without spotting he had two extra penises – leaving medical students to find them after he died.
The pensioner is thought to have gone his whole life unaware of his “remarkable anatomical variation.” The ultra-rare condition was finally noticed by students at the University of Birmingham Medical School when they dissected his body.
They diagnosed him with triphallia, a rare genetic condition that has only been recorded once before in 2020, according to the Journal of Medical Case Reports. Meanwhile diphallia – or duplicate penises – affects one in every five to six million people.
READ MORE: Twins who make spicy content together turn down Dubai millionaire’s £76,000 offer
Click for more of the latest news from the Daily Star.
(Image: Getty Images)
The man was described as a white male around six feet tall, who appeared to have normal genitalia on external examination. When this was dissected, it revealed “two small supernumerary penises … concealed within the scrotal sac”.
In the womb, the early phase of genital development occurs at four to seven weeks gestation.
The report states: “The penis develops from the genital tubercule and is controlled by dihydrotestosterone. Genetic abnormalities affecting the expression of androgen receptors may cause morphological genital abnormalities.
“In this case, there may have been triplication of the genital tubercle. The urethra originally developed in the secondary penis, however, when this penis failed to develop, the urethra diverted its course and developed in the primary penis instead.”
(Image: Getty Images)
In almost all cases of external penile duplication, which was typically associated with other congenital abnormalities, surgeons decided to remove the additional penis. Internal penile duplication, however, was typically identified later in life with “sexual dysfunction, obstructive urinary symptoms and urinary incontinence in adulthood”.
The report states: “We cannot be certain that in this case the defect remained unnoticed in life.” The authors added that given the accidental nature of the discovery, they suggested internal penile duplication may be more common than previously thought.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.