396 



CLINICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY 



According to Sir H. Thompson, the enlargements of the prostate 

 usually found in eldedy men are (i) true hj'pertrophy, (2) fibrous or 

 fibro-muscular hyperplasia, (3) glandular hyperplasia, and (4) simple 

 tumours and outgrowths. In addition to these are the cystic and 

 malignant degenerations. Primary cancer of the prostate is, however, 

 not common in men. The prostate of this dog appeared to have first 

 undergone a fibro-muscular hypertrophy ; the tumour was principally 

 of a firm but spongy texture, consisting on section of fibrous trabeculae, 

 with numerous bands of muscular fibres passing in all directions and 

 enclosing irregular spaces, so that to the naked eye a section resembled 

 a section of lung ; upon this a malignant process had supervened, the 

 fibrous tissue became infiltrated with epithelioid cells forming groups 

 and masses in the interstices of the fibrous bands, extending into the 

 pelvic tissues, and at the anterior part of the tumour undergoing an 



Fig. 44. — Right kidney of dog. Section showing tubules irregularly distended with swollen 

 ceils, diminishing or obliterating the lumen of the tubes. x about 65. i. A glome- 

 rulus with thickened capsule. 



imperfect ossification ; there were also several cysts in different parts 

 of the tumour. The right kidney, which was hypertrophied, showed 

 signs of recent tubular nephritis, not unlike the condition found in 

 scarlatina ; the tubules were swollen and irregularly distended with 

 cells. The glomeruli showed thickening of Bowman's capsule, but 

 there was scarcely any areolar hyperplasia or cirrhosis. 



Note by Mr. Clarke. — The question arises whether, if the disease 

 had been detected earlier, it might have been arrested by castration. 

 The difficulty appears to be to make a sufficiently early diagnosis. 



Very careful attention to urinary symptoms in cases which appear 

 to be only constipation would probably secure earlier recognition, 

 though perhaps not early enough. Whether malignant changes are 

 commoner in dogs than men is at present undetermined, but unless 



