264 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



is similar to that which occurs in the uterus subsequent to oophorec- 

 tomy. The operation should comprehend both testes to ensure 

 atrophy of both lobes, since when unilateral castration is practised, 

 only the lobe on the corresponding side is affected. The benefit 

 derived from the operation is apparent within a few days. 



That the growth of the prostate is dependent upon the growth 

 of the testes is evident from the fact that it is not developed 

 until the time of puberty. It is a purely sexual gland, having noth- 

 ing to do with micturition, its function being to add certain con- 

 stituents to the seminal fluid at the time of its discharge. Griffiths 

 found that both the prostate and Cowperian glands remained small, 

 lost their glandular character, and became transformed into masses 

 of fibrous connective tissue, when the testes were removed before 

 the age of puberty (about ten or twelve months in the dog), and 

 that when the organs were removed after full development they 

 underwent a retrogressive metamorphosis to the extent of the glan- 

 dular epithelium becoming converted into the lower and function- 

 less type, and the stroma losing muscular tissue. 



Kirby undertook castration experiments on dogs with the ob- 

 ject of discovering whether this operation could be of use as a 

 remedy for enlarged prostate in man. He found the average weight 

 of the prostate of thirty-five healthy dogs of certain size to be 

 17-347 grams. When the gland was removed from eleven similar 

 animals thirty to sixty days after castration, it weighed only one- 

 fourth the original weight. 



In valuable stud animals, in which it is desired to leave the 

 testes intact, the alternative operation is Cysto-enterostomy, but it 

 entails considerable risk. 



Carcinoma. Malignant adeno-carcinoma has been occasion- 

 ally observed, but it is not common. It occurs as a tuberous en- 

 largement, with a tendency towards retrogressive metamorphosis 

 and metastasis, particularly to the testicle. 



Symptoms and Diagnosis. The symptoms are similar to those 

 of other forms of enlargement as regards the interference with 

 normal micturition and defecation. It may be differentiated by the 

 uneven, tuberous growth and the accompanying cachexia. 



Treatment. There is no practicable treatment for malignant 

 neoplasm, excepting its extirpation and anastomosis of the stump 

 of the bladder with the rectum. 



