334 OSWALD S. LOWSLEY 



2. There is found in some of the sections studied a small group 

 of glands which open upon the mucosa at the middle and lower 

 part of the trigonum vesicae and which barely extend into the 

 underlying musculature. These glands are in nearly every case 

 simple tubules of very delicate structure, no muscular or special- 

 ized tissue layers being found surrounding them. They are not 

 found until the twentieth week but are observed in every fetus 

 older than that and also in the new-born. These tubules form the 

 subtrigonal group of glands and are in every case few in number, 

 nine being the most found and four the fewest. They are appar- 

 ently insignificant but occupy a strategic position as a very slight 

 hypertrophy at this point might cause a considerable obstruction 

 to urinary outflow. Cases have been observed by Dr. H. H. 

 Young and Dr. J. T. Geraghty in which this group of tubules had 

 become enlarged and a further growth had caused them to become 

 almost free in the bladder lumen being connected to the original 

 site by a small pedicle. Upon attempted urination this globular 

 mass would- fall into the orifice of the urethra and blocking it 

 would cause more obstruction than an enormous hypertrophied 

 prostate. The structures are probably a continuation upward of 

 urethral glands. 



3. On the floor of the prostatic urethra of the fetus sixteen weeks 

 of age at its commencement there are found eight small evagina- 

 tions which are observed to extend only a short distance into the 

 submucosa. These tubules are easily distinguishable from pros- 

 tatic gland tubules being of very slight architectuie and lacking 

 the muscular layers which surround the prostatic tubules. This 

 group of tubules first described by Albarran is found in all of 

 the specimens studied here older than sixteen weeks. In fetal 

 life they have no branches at all but in the new-born a few very 

 small branches were made out. In all cases these tubules grow 

 back toward the bladder in the submucosa and never extend 

 deeply into the musculature. In the new-born they have grown 

 back within the sphincter. These tubules are found in one in- 

 stance growing from the roof of the prostatic urethra. They are 

 few in number, varying from eight to nineteen and are very simi- 

 lar in structure to the subtrigonal glands just described, except 



