Is this what they mean when they say “grow a pair”?
Scientists in England were examining a 78-year-old cadaver back in 2024 when they discovered something(s) truly bizarre.
Upon dissection, they found that the deceased had what appeared to be not one, not two, but three penises — only the second time in recorded history that this genital anomaly has been known to occur.
What’s even stranger is that he may never have been aware of all the extra heat he was packing when he was alive.
The man had a form of what doctors call polyphallia, an exceptionally rare congenital condition that impacts roughly one in 5 to 6 million live births. His specific anatomy presented even more of a puzzle, with two extra penises instead of just one, known as triphallia.
In the only other case of triphallia to appear in scientific literature between the years 1606 and 2023, the two “supernumerary” penises were externally attached to the perineum and the scrotum of a 3-month-old baby and were surgically removed with no complications.
The 78-year-old Brit’s additional members, however, were concealed within the scrotal sac, meaning it’s very likely that neither he nor his doctors ever knew they were there. From the outside, his privates appeared normal.
It wasn’t until he donated his body to science that researchers realized he’d brought backup.
Polyphallia develops in utero, when a sex hormone known as DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is helping to form the prostate and penis. In this case, the researchers said, the gential tubercle, or the precursor to fully formed genitals, might have triplicated, creating a primary penis and two mini-me’s.
“The urethra originally developed in the secondary penis,” they wrote. “However, when this penis failed to develop, the urethra diverted its course and developed in the primary penis instead. The tertiary penis is a remnant of the triplicated genital tubercle.”
Because the other penises were concealed in the scrotum, the researchers posit that this abnormality could be more common than the literature would have us believe.
Certain congenital anomalies involving sex hormones and genitalia are indeed more common, such as babies who are born intersex — meaning a person is “born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the boxes of ‘female’ or ‘male,’” according to Planned Parenthood.
It’s estimated that one or two in 100 people are intersex, making it slightly better understood in the medical community than polyphallia, though still understudied.
Standard practice has long been that doctors will surgically alter intersex babies and children so they fit into the “male” or “female” binary. But intersex advocates have raised questions about the ethics of performing non-medically necessary operations on non-consenting minors.
In the case of the triphallic man, all his many parts remained intact until his death.
Local regulations prohibit the publication of identifying details about the cadaver, aside from his height, around 6 feet, and his “medium-large build.”
While his polyphallia may have gone undetected throughout his life, the researchers speculate that he might have suffered from some complications related to his condition, such as urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction or fertility issues.
There were signs, according to the report, that he did at one point undergo inguinal hernia repair, which could have required a catheter. His triphallia would have made it challenging to pass one through his urethra, which might have alerted his medical team to his condition.
But even if it had, his extra hardware was left untainted.
