1396 



THE URINOGENITAL ORGANS 



attachment of the base to the under surface of the bladder. The substance of the prostate is of 

 a pale, reddish-gray color, of great density, and not easily torn. It consists of glandular sub- 

 stance and muscle tissue. 



The muscle tissue, according to Kolliker, constitutes the proper stroma of the prostate, the 

 connective tissue being very scanty, and simply forming thin trabecula? between the muscle fibres, 

 in which the vessels and nerves of the gland ramify. The muscle tissue is arranged as follows: 

 Immediately beneath the fibrous capsule is a dense layer, which forms an investing sheath for 

 the gland; secondly, around the urethra, as it lies in the prostate, is another dense layer of cir- 

 cular fibres, continuous above with the internal layer of the muscle coat of the bladder, and below 

 blending with the fibres surrounding the membranous portion of the urethra. Between these 



LEFT COMMON 

 ILIAC VEIN 



FIG. 1151. Sagittal section of the lower part of a male trunk, the right segment. (Testut.) 



two layers strong bands of muscle tissue, which decussate freely, form meshes in which the 

 glandular structure of the organ is embedded. In that part of the gland which is situated in 

 front of the urethra the muscle tissue is especially dense, and there is here little or no gland tissue; 

 while in that part which is behind the urethra the muscle tissue presents a wide-meshed structure, 

 which is densest at the base of the gland that is, near the bladder and becomes looser and 

 more sponge-like toward the apex of the organ. 



The glandular substance is composed of lobules containing numerous branched tubular 



glands opening into elongated canals, which join to form from twelve to twenty small excretory 



The glands are held together by areolar tissue, supported by prolongations from the 



hbrous capsule and muscle stroma, and enclosed in a delicate capillary plexus. The epithelium 



which lines the canals and the terminal tubules is of the columnar variety. The prostatic ducts 



