THE ACCESSORY REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS 249 



become active, bub at the same time to shorten their life. Earlier 

 experiments by Iwanoff (see p. 246), however, show that spermatozoa 

 which have never come into contact with prostatic secretion possess 

 . full functional activity, and are capable of fertilising ova successf uUy.^ 

 Serralach and Parfes ^ have adduced evidence indicating that the 

 prostate is an internally secreting gland which controls the testicular 

 functions, and regulates the process of ejaculation. It is stated that 



-d 



Fig. 66. — Section through prostate gland of monkey. 



a, Tubular alveolus lined with epithelium ; 6, alveolus containing concretion 

 in lumen ; c, bundle of muscular fibres in connective tissue ; c?, blood- 

 vessels in stroma. 



if the prostate is removed spermatozoa are no longer produced in the 

 testis, and that the secretory activity of the accessory genital glands 

 ceases. These changes, however, can be prevented by the administra- 

 tion of glycerine extracts of prostate gland. The experiments were 

 upon dogs. The most obvious criticism of Serralach and Paris' view 

 is that it is unlikely, on phylogenetic grounds, that the functional 



' i^ccording to Herokawa {Biochem. Zeitsch., vol. xix., 1909) the influence o^ 

 prostatic fluid on spermatozoa is due to its alkalinity. The addition of small 

 quantities of alkali to^physiological salt solution was found to be favourable 

 to spermatozoa. ~*' / 



* Serralach and Parfes, " Quelques donn^es sur la Physiologie de la Prostate 

 et du Testicule," C. R. de la Soc. Biol., vol. Ixiii., 1908. 



