Man with three penises found in UK — and he might not have known about it

Illustrative photo: Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

The unusual discovery was made in 2024 in an English medical institution when scientists were studying the body of a man who had bequeathed it to science. During the autopsy, they found that the deceased, in addition to his primary sexual organ, had two additional ones. This refers to a form of a rare congenital anomaly — polyphallia, where a person develops more than one penis.

Polyphallia occurs in approximately one in 5–6 million newborns. However, specifically triphallia — the presence of three penises — has only been described in scientific literature once in over four centuries (from 1606 to 2023). In the first case, two additional organs were located externally — in the groin and scrotal area of a three-month-old infant — and were surgically removed without complications.

In the British case, the situation was different. The two additional penises were located inside the scrotum and did not manifest externally in any way. The man's external genitalia appeared normal. This is why researchers believe that neither the man himself nor his doctors likely knew about the existence of this feature.

In an article in the Journal of Medical Case, scientists explain that polyphallia forms during gestation. During fetal development, the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) plays a key role in the formation of the prostate and penis. In this case, it is assumed that a triple development of the so-called genital tubercle occurred — the structure from which external genitalia form. As a result, one main penis and two smaller "residual" organs appeared.

According to the authors of the study, the urethra (urinary canal) initially developed in one of the additional penises. But since it did not fully form, the canal changed direction and eventually developed in the main organ. The third penis became, in fact, a remnant of the triple genital anlage.

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Photo: Vecteezy.com

The fact that the additional organs were hidden in the scrotum leads researchers to assume that similar anomalies may be more common than thought, but remain unnoticed.

Medicine knows other variations of sexual development. For example, intersex conditions — when a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit entirely into the "male" or "female" categories. It is estimated that 1-2% of people have intersex traits. These cases are better studied than polyphallia, but still remain insufficiently explored.

In the past, in many countries, children with intersex characteristics often underwent surgical operations to align their anatomy with a male or female model. Today, the approach is gradually changing: if there are no direct medical indications, there is an increasing call to postpone such interventions until the person can make their own decision.

In the case of the 78-year-old Briton, all his anatomical features were preserved until his death. According to local rules, personal details about the donor are not disclosed. It is only known that he was about 183 centimeters tall and had a "medium-large" build.

Researchers suggest that throughout his life, the man may have encountered certain complications related to this anomaly — for example, urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, or problems with fertility. The report notes that he had previously undergone surgery for an inguinal hernia, which may have required catheterization.

Given the peculiarities of his anatomy, this could have been a complex procedure and potentially led to the discovery of the anomaly. However, even if doctors did notice something unusual, no surgical interventions related to the three penises were performed.

Thus, one of the rarest anatomical phenomena in medical history remained a secret throughout the man's life — and was only discovered after his death.

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