354 THE ORGANS 



muscle cells, the muscle cells predominating. From the capsule 

 broad trabeculcB of the same structure as the capsule pass into the 

 gland. The amount of connective tissue is large. It is less in the 

 prostate of the young than of the old. The hypertrophied prostate 

 of age is due mainly to an increase in the connective-tissue elements. 

 The tubules have wide lumina and are lined with simple cuboidal 

 epithelium of the serous type, resting upon a delicate basement mem- 

 brane (Fig. 246). Less commonly the epithelium is pseudo-strati- 

 fied. The ducts are hned with simple columnar epithehum until 

 near their terminations where they are lined with transitional epithe- 

 lium similar to that lining the urethra. Peculiar concentrically 

 laminated bodies, crescentic corpuscles, or corpora amylacea, are fre- 

 quently present in the terminal tubules (Fig. 246, c). They are 

 more numerous after middle life. Through the prostate runs the 

 prostatic portion of the urethra. 



Within the prostate is found the vesicula prostatica {utricidiis 

 prostaticus — uterus masculinus). It represents the remains of a 

 foetal structure, the Mullerian duct and consists of a blind sac with 

 folded mucous membrane lined with a two-rowed ciliated epithelium 

 which dips down to form short tubular glands. The prostatic secre- 

 tion is serous. 



The blood-vessels of the prostate ramify in the capsule and tra- 

 beculse. The small arteries give rise to a capillary network which 

 surrounds the gland tubules. From these arise small veins, which 

 accompany the arteries in the septa and unite to form venous plexuses 

 in the capsule. 



The lymphatics begin as blind clefts in the trabeculae and fol- 

 low the general course of the blood-vessels. 



Nerves. — Small groups of sympathetic ganglion cells are found in 

 the larger trabeculae and beneath the capsule. Axones of these cells 

 pass to the smooth muscle of the trabeculae and of the walls of the 

 blood-vessels. Their mode of termination is not known. Timofeew 

 describes afferent medullated fibres ending within capsular structures 

 of flat nucleated cells. Two kinds of fibres pass to each capsule: 

 one a large medullated fibre which loses its sheath and gives rise 

 within the capsule to several flat fibres with serrated edges, the other 

 small medullated fibres which lose their sheaths and split up into 

 small varicose fibrils which form a network around the terminals of 

 the large fibre. 



