THE BLOOD VESSELS OF THE PROSTATE GLAND. 
BY 
GEORGE WALKER, M.D. ‘ 
Associate in Surgery, Johns Hopkins University. 
From the Anatomical Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University. 
WITH 2 COLORED PLATES. 
As the structures of the body are being more and more carefully in- 
vestigated it is found that organs are composed of like structural units, 
which when repeated a number of times form the whole organ. In gen- 
eral these units are formed by the glandular structures, the blood-ves- 
sels, or by both, as is the case in the liver. 
Some eight years ago, at the suggestion of Dr. Mall, I undertook the 
study of the prostate gland, with the hope of finding structural units in 
it. In this search I was successful. Since then my work has been 
continued in the laboratories of Professor Born* of Breslau and Pro- 
fessor Spalteholz* of Leipzig, and although this communication is sey- 
eral years late in appearing, it should in reality have preceded those that 
were published in 1899. 
In the present study for the most part the prostate glands of dogs were 
used. Several cadavers were injected and the gross blood supply was 
studied in part from these. After the animals had been killed by chloro- 
form, the aorta was exposed just above the bifurcation and injected with 
various substances. A preliminary washing out of the blood-vessels with 
salt solution was practised in a few of the first injections, but this was 
soon discarded as it did not seem to enhance the value of the method. 
Carmine gelatine, followed by ultramarine-blue gelatine, as an injecting 
mass, gave the most satisfactory results. About 250 cc. of the carmine 
gelatine were injected first, the injection being stopped as soon as all 
of the tissues had acquired a maximum carmine hue. This was fol- 
lowed by the injection of ultramarine-blue gelatine, which was kept up 
until no more of the material would pass in. The carmine gelatine 
1Walker, George: Ueber die Lymphgefaisse der Prostata beim Hunde. 
Arch. fiir Anatomie, 1899. 
2 Walker, George: Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Anatomie und Physiologie 
der Prostata, etc. IJbid., 1899. 
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ANATOMY.—VOL. V. 
