Preputial glands are in the penile sheath in front of the penis. They occur in many Mammal, including Canidae,[Cave, A. J. E. " The preputial glands of ceratotherium." Mammalia 30.1 (1966): 153-159.] and even-toed ungulates
Male Scent marking their territories with urine and preputial gland secretions.[Van Heerden, Joseph. " The role of integumental glands in the social and mating behaviour of the hunting dog Lycaon pictus (Temminck, 1820)." (1981).] The preputial glands of male musk deer produce strong-smelling deer musk which is of economic importance, as it is used in .
Human homologues
There is debate about whether humans have functional homologues to preputial glands. Preputial glands were first noted by
Edward Tyson and in 1694, fully described by William Cowper who named them
Tyson's glands after Tyson.
They are modified
located around the corona and inner surface of the
foreskin of the
human penis. They are believed to be most frequently found in the balanopreputial
glans penis.
Their secretion may be one of the components of
smegma.
Some, including Satya Parkash,
dispute their existence.
While humans may not have true anatomical equivalents, the term may sometimes be used for tiny whitish yellow bumps occasionally found on the glans corona. The proper name for these structures is pearly penile papules (or hirsutoid papillomas). According to detractors, they are not glands, but mere thickenings of the skin and are not involved in the formation of smegma.
See also
-
List of specialized glands within the human integumentary system
