A very unusual case of a man having three penises was reported on by Sciencealert.com in October 2024 and highlights the wonderful diversity of human body shapes and sizes.
It also gives an insight into why medical research and donation of bodies are so important in extending medical knowledge. Dubbed ‘unlike anything on record,’ this case of triphallia (having three penises) is unique.
Background from Discovery
The abnormality was discovered only after death, by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK, through an anatomical assessment. Recorded in their 2024 scientific paper, the instance was that of a 78-year-old white man who had bequeathed his body to science. Researchers opined he ‘may not have known about his congenital anomaly’.
As per the Sciencealert.com report, “Externally, the genitalia were normal, but on postmortem examination, two interior and inferior penises were found ‘hidden inside the scrotal sac’, above the hanging portion of the scrotum and at the base of the major penile shaft.”
The extra penile shafts were hidden under the skin near his main outside organ, and the discovery was made by accident.
How Uncommon is Triphallia?
There is only one other reported case in medical literature of triphallia, and that too was easily seen at birth. From 1606 through to 2023, approximately 112 instances of diphallia (double penis) have been reported.
Sciencealert.com also remembered a 2020 Iraqi study that documented a 3-month-old boy who had a small glans fixed close to the base of his main penis under the perineum, plus a third glans underneath the scrotum. Both of these external growths were also surgically excised.
May Polyphallia be Underdiagnosed?
In their account, University of Birmingham’s final-year medical student John Buchanan and team state, “Without any symptoms and further medical requirements, hidden internal penises may not reveal themselves, thwarting diagnosis,” further stating that ‘polyphallia’ could be more common than is currently thought.
Their research points out that polyphallia is estimated to happen in about one among every 5 to 6 million births. Yet, instances in which other penises are internal may never be discovered during an individual’s lifetime, leading to unidentified problems related to urination, erections, or fertility.
