Medical students from the University of Birmingham made a shocking discovery when they found that a 78-year-old British man had three penises during a dissection after he donated his body to science. The rare condition, known as Triphallia, is an extremely rare congenital anomaly, where a person is born with three distinct penile shafts.
The man, who lived without symptoms, was unaware of his unique condition throughout his life. According to the Journal of Medical Case Reports, this marks only the second documented case of Triphallia, with the first involving a newborn in 2020. The researchers believe that the condition starts during fetal development between four and seven weeks of gestation.
“The penis develops from the genital tubercule and is controlled by dihydrotestosterone,” the report explains, noting that genetic abnormalities during this period may result in genital duplication.
The medical report further clarifies that in the 78-year-old’s case, the urethra initially developed in one of the secondary penises but later shifted to the primary one when the other failed to develop fully.
While Triphallia can cause issues such as sexual dysfunction and urinary problems in adulthood, the lack of symptoms in this case allowed the man to live without any health complications. The researchers commented, “We cannot be certain that, in this case, the defect remained unnoticed in life.”
