THIGH AND LEG. 339 



of veins the vesico-prostatic. A small amount of work with the forceps will 

 expose to view all the above structures. 



1 . Describe the prostate gland. 



It is in front of the neck of the bladder, the part resting on the bladder 

 being the base. (Fig. 232.) The posterior surface is on the rectum. The ante- 

 rior surface is behind the symphysis. The apex reaches the triangular ligament. 

 It has three lobes. You will see, between the lateral lobe and the middle lobe, 

 the ejaculatory duct. The prostate is traversed by the urethra and ducts just 

 mentioned. The gland is surrounded by a firm capsule. Its substance is gland- 

 ular and muscular, and not easily torn, as is the spleen. 



2. Describe the vesico-prostatic pie. rns. 



This is now easily shown. It consists of engorged veins which surround the 

 neck and base of the bladder and the prostate, just mentioned. The dorsal vein 

 of the penis passing close under the subpubic arcade discharges into this plexus. 

 (Fig. 233.) Behind this plexus is the haemorrhoidal plexus. The two plexuses 

 communicate very freely. 



3. Give function of vesic nice seminales. (Fig. 236.) 



They act as a reservoir for the semen, just as the gall-bladder is a receptacle 

 for bile. The vas deferens brings semen from the testicle, as the hepatic duct 

 brings bile from the liver. The seminal duct and vas come together to form the 

 excretory duct, just as the cystic and hepatic unite to form the common bile 

 duct. The vas deferens is two feet in length. 



4. Name tlie structures pierced by the male urethra. 



(i) The prostate from base to apex; (2) the deep and superficial triangular 

 ligaments ; (3) the compressor urethrae muscle (Outline's muscle) ; (4) the corpus 

 spongiosum. 



5. Wliat is the average length of the male urethra / 



It is about six and one-half inches long. Its length is increased in senile 

 hypertrophy of the prostate. 



6. Give the length of the pro static urethra and tell zvhat you found in the same. 

 Its length is one and one-fourth inches. In this part of the urethra we found : 



(i) The sinus pocularis, or uterus masculinus, believed to be homologous to the 

 uterus of the female ; (2) the openings for the seminal ejaculatory ducts ; (3) the 

 orifices for the prostatic glands. 



7. Name and locate the dilated parts of the spongy portion of the urethra. 



(i) The pars bulbosa in the bulb, one inch in length ; (2) the fossa navicularis, 

 one inch in length, situated in the glans penis. 



8. Locate the penile angle. 



It is about two inches in front of the external layer ot the triangular ligament. 



9. Describe the blood-supply to and from the penis. 



A distinction must be made between the superficial circulation and the deep : 



(1) The circulation in the retractile or loose covering, or the superficial circu- 

 lation, reaches the penis by (#) the external pudic artery, a branch of the common 

 femoral artery; () the superficial perineal, a branch of the internal pudic; (c] 

 the superficial branch of the dorsal artery of the penis. The blood from this 

 superficial circulation is collected in one or two rather large superficial veins, and 

 conveyed by them to the femoral vein and its large tributary, the long saphenous. 



(2) Blood reaches the penis proper by arteries to the bulb and corpus cavernosum. 

 These vessels are branches of the internal pudic artery. They are given off from 

 this artery in the space between the superficial and deep triangular ligaments. 

 (Fig. 233.) They pierce the superficial triangular ligament preparatory to sup- 

 plying these parts. The dorsal artery of the penis (Fig. 233) also supplies the 

 deep parts of the penis. Blood from this region is returned to the venous circu- 

 lation by two routes : (a) By the dorsal vein of the penis ; (/>) by the veins that 



