372 



PHYSIOLOGY OF GONADS 



Fig. 6.4. Rabbit accessory reproductive glands; lateral aspect. Left, domestic male; center, 

 cottontail male; right, cottontail female. B, bulbo-urethral gland; C, coagulating gland (vesic- 

 ular gland); D, ductus deferens; P, paraprostate ; Pr, prostate; V , urethra; VC, urogenital 

 canal (vestibulum) ; V, vagina. (Redrawn from J. G. Elschlepp, J. Morphol., 91, 169-198, 

 1952.) 



lio.sterior (Moore, Price and Gallagher, 

 1930; Callow and Deanesly, 1935; Price, 

 1936). Korenchevsky and Dennison (1935) 

 noted that the histologic structure of the 

 dorsal lobe (or region) is quite similar to 

 that of the coagulating glands whereas the 

 lateral lobes more nearly resemble the ven- 

 tral. This has been confirmed in histologic 

 and functional studies (Price, Mann and 

 Lutwak-Mann, 1955). Gunn and Gould 

 (1957a) reported differences in histologic 

 structure and functional activity in the two 

 lobes. 



The lateral lobes can be distinguished 

 grossly from the dorsal by anatomic rela- 

 tionships and color, but the glandular lo- 

 bules form a continuous mass and can be 

 separated into distinct lateral and dorsal 

 lobes only by dissection. This can be accom- 

 plished with considerable accuracy in im- 

 mature males and young adults; in large 

 rats it is more difficult because of distention 

 of the alveoli and overlap of lobules in 

 contiguous regions. The ventral tips of the 

 lateral lobes extend down and partially 

 underlie the ventral lobes to which they are 

 loosely bovmd. The dorsal prostate is some- 

 what butterfly-shaped with a single cranial 

 region and wings extending caudally along 



the urethra much as in the hamster (Fig. 

 6.2). By dissection in the midline, it can be 

 divided into right and left lobes. The dorsal 

 and lateral prostates are drained by 50 or 

 more ducts opening into the roof of the pros- 

 tatic urethra (Witschi, Mahoney and Riley, 

 1938). Those from the dorsal region open 

 more dorsally; those from the lateral lobes, 

 laterodorsally. 



Some of the confusion in prostatic termi- 

 nology arises from the general application 

 of the word "lobe" to (1) organs that are 

 grossly anatomically distinct, (2) regions 

 that do not form entirely discrete structures 

 but can be distinguished histologically, (3) 

 ])arts of the gland which contain two histo- 

 logically different portions, and (4) regions 

 that differ, not in histologic structure but 

 in response to hormones and in the tendency 

 to ])athologic growths (human and dog). 



The lobation of the human prostate has 

 been the subject of controversy for some 

 time. It is of especial interest because one 

 region, the posterior or dorsal lobe, is com- 

 monly the site for prostatic carcinoma and 

 another, the more anterior or ventral region, 

 for benign prostatic hypertrophy. The lobes 

 have been described as posterior, anterior, 

 middle, and two lateral, or as posterior and 



