One of France's oldest and most learned medical bodies has weighed in on the topic of penis size to give its professional view on when a man should worry about an inadequate appendage.

The Paris-based National Academy of Surgery (l'Academie nationale de chirurgie) was created in 1731 by Louis XV. Its headquarters are in the appropriately-named rue de l'Ecole de Medecine and it has more than 500 members specializing in different branches of surgery.

In its latest declaration, the academy has published the average measurements of a man's tackle in an effort to discourage men from going through potentially dangerous penis enlargement procedures.

A "normal" penis should be between 9 and 9.5 centimetres (3.5 to 3.7 inches) when flaccid and between 12.8 and 14.5 centimetres (5 to 5.7 inches) when erect.

When it comes to girth, the average circumference is between 8.5 and 9 centimetres (3.3 to 3.5 inches) "at rest" and between 10 and 10.5 centimetres (3.9 to 4.1 inches) when "standing to attention."

The academy has spoken out to warn men about unnecessary surgery,

"The feeling of having an insufficiently large penis can be a source of anxiety and psychological suffering for a man," said the institution in a statement.

Demand for penis-enlargement operations has been on the rise in recent years, fuelled by "locker-room syndrome" (syndrome du vestiaire).

The surgeons' body added that lengthening procedures may have "limited" results and could have "a risk of certain complications, in particular regarding erections."

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