THE HUMAN PROSTATE GLAND 331 



surface a slight depression which is ordinarily termed the median 

 furrow. This depression in the specimen under discussion is 

 more pronounced in the region of the apex and gradually becomes 

 shallow at the middle of the gland and at the base assumes a 

 rounded contour. At the apex two of the posterior lobe tubules 

 send branches forward which appear outside of the muscular 

 walls of the urethra, which at this stage are quite well developed. 



The ventral lobe is composed of two very small tubules with 

 just a few branches whose ducts open upon the ventral wall of the 

 prostatic urethra at about its middle part. This lobe in the new- 

 born has atrophied to. almost complete insignificance (fig. 10). 



Just at the apex of the prostate and a little below that point 

 there are noticed numerous gland tubules contained in the sub- 

 mucous tissue of the urethra which are easily differentiated from 

 prostatic tubules, being much smaller in size and lacking the mus- 

 cular coats of the latter. In most instances these tubules have 

 several branches, but none of them are at all extensive as are the 

 tubules of the prostate. The entire structures are contained 

 within the muscular walls of the urethra and their ducts open into 

 it on all sides. These tubules are considered to be the glands of 

 Littre, and while very numerous just below the apex of the pros- 

 tate are very few in number lower down in the urethra. 



In the new-born the seminal vesicles have extended back 

 under the bladder almost to the base of the trigone. Its upper- 

 most portion consists of five lumina on each side with walls almost 

 as thick as those of the vasa deferentia. These lumina all com- 

 municate lower down and connect with the ejaculatory ducts 

 just below the point where they become imbedded in the muscula- 

 ture of the prostate gland. The ampullae of the vasa deferentia 

 are easily distinguishable in this specimen and are marked by a 

 considerable widening and great increase in the size of the lumen. 



As the ejaculatory ducts become more deeply imbedded in the 

 prostate they become situated in more immediate contact with 

 one another until their musculature becomes intermingled as 

 shown in fig. 8, and while each contains its own walls intact they 

 are both contained within the same bundle. In their progress 

 through the prostate they take the course already described in 



