530 DAVID I. MACHT 



Action of Prostatic Extracts on Isolated Genito-urinary Organs. 



It is well known that pathological conditions of the prostate gland are also 

 accompanied by disturbances in bladder function. While such disturb- 

 ances are generally attributed to mechanical causes, it is nevertheless not 

 quite settled whether the prostate gland may not exert some influence on 

 mental investigation was undertaken by the author in collaboration with S. 

 Matsumoto (d), which is published in full elsewhere (1920). 



The authors studied the influence of prostatic extracts on the contrac- 

 tions and tonicity of various surviving excised genito-urinary organs in 

 vitro. The following organs were studied: uterus and fallopian tubes, 

 bladder and ureters, vas deferens and seminal vesicle. Aqueous saline 

 extracts of the prostate gland of the ram, dog, bull, steer and man were 

 used. The results are shown succinctly in the accompanying table, in 

 which the Arabic numerals indicate the minimal doses of the glandular 

 extracts required to elicit the contraction of the various organs, while the 

 Roman figures indicate the number of experiments of each kind that 

 were performed. 



It will be seen on studying the above table that all of the genito-urinary 

 organs are stimulated in vitro by the addition of prostatic extracts, pro- 

 vided a sufficiently large dose is used; but that different organs require 

 different doses of the glandular extract. The uterus and tubes were found 

 to respond to the smallest quantities of such extracts; the bladder and 

 ureter came next in the order of their response to such treatment; while 

 the vas deferens and seminal vesicles required the largest doses of the 

 extracts in order to give any evidence of a physiological effect. As a 

 result of these experiments we must conclude that the pro-state gland 

 cannot be regarded as having any specific or marked influence on the tonus 

 or contractions of the bladder through an internal secretion. 



Thromboplastic Properties of the Prostate Gland. A number of 

 authors (Thaon, Gotzl, Legiieu and Gaillardot) who studied the effects 

 of intravenous injections of prostatic extracts in dogs and other animals 

 noted asphyxia and other pathological symptoms and signs attributable 

 to intravascular coagulation of the blood. These observations raised the 

 question as to whether the prostate gland may not possess some internal 

 secretions exhibiting thromboplastic properties. The present author, in 

 collaboration with Miss Beulah Wells, undertook an experimental study 

 of the effects of various glandular extracts in general and of prostatic 

 extracts in particular on the coagulation time of blood (1920). The 

 method employed was that described by Tlowell and McLean. Oxalated 

 plasma and serum from tho blood of various animals man, dog, cat, pig 

 and rabbit were mixed in various proportions and the coagulation time 

 was determined after addition of prostatic extracts on the one hand and 

 of normal physiological saline on the other. It was found that' saline 

 extracts of tho prostate gland tended to accelerate the coagulation time; 



