20 
DR. PETTIGREW ON THE MUSCULAR ARRANGEMENTS 
These fibres are eccentric to the deep circular fibres surrounding the canal of the 
urethra, and contain the glandular substance in a kind of network. 6, and lastly. 
The capsule, composed of fibrous tissue, which serves at once for a covering for the 
gland and a tendon of insertion for some of the fibres of the bladder. The prostate, 
according to Sabatier, consists almost exclusively of circular fibres, but the gland, in 
his opinion, is not a continuation of the bladder, although some of the fibres of the 
bladder terminate in it. He differs from Ellis and Hodgson in describing two sets of 
circular fibres ; the one belonging to the urethra, the other to the prostate proper. In 
this he is followed by Henle * * * § , who figures the two sets of circular fibres referred to, 
and indicates (towards the apex of the gland) the presence of striated or voluntary 
muscular fibres. 
Leuckhart f describes a true rudimentary prostate in the female, which consists 
principally of mucous follicles, and is situated between the beginning of the urethra 
and the reflexion of the vagina J. 
From what has been stated, it will be evident that the arrangement of the fibres in 
the prostate, and their precise relations to those of the urethra and bladder, is by no 
means well ascertained. It will further appear that those who have described the 
fibres of the bladder as running in all directions have not attempted to trace their 
courses or localize them ; while those who have done the latter have given a very im- 
perfect account of the direction of the fibres forming the layers they have enumerated. 
In conclusion, no attempt has been made to reconcile the statements of Sabatier and 
Henle with those of Ellis and Hodgson, or the descriptions of Lieutaud and Sabatier 
with those of Duverney, Lauth, Huschke, and Cruveilhier — the former describing 
structures remarkable for their complexity, the latter for their extreme simplicity. 
The difficulties experienced in unravelling and tracing the fibres of the bladder and 
prostate sufficiently account for the discrepancies. With a view to simplifying the 
arrangement, I have in the present instance distended the bladder and urethra with 
liquid plaster of Paris, this substance preserving the soft contour of the viscus, and, 
when set, enabling me to dissect even individual fibres with a surprising degree of 
precision §. In many instances I have hardened the bladders so prepared in alcohol, 
bisected them in various directions, and removed the plaster, so as to render them 
* Handbuch der Rystematischen Anatomie des Menschen, von Dr. J. Henle, 1866. 
+ Vide article on Weber's Organ, inlllustr. Med. Zeitung, 1, 2. 
J “ Virchow also admits the existence of the rudimentary prostate in females, and says that he has often 
found at the neck of the bladder, especially in old women when the internal orifice is thickened, round greyish- 
yellow enlargements, in which there are gradually formed firm dark-coloured bodies lying imbedded in the 
mucous membrane. These bodies he considers identical with, or analogous to, the concretions found in the 
prostatic portion of the urethra ” (Virchow's Archives, vol. iii. 1853). 
§ In order to obtain a dark background, against which to contrast the direction of the fibres, I added ultra- 
marine blue to the plaster before mixing it with water. The deep colour shines through the semi-transparent 
walls, and causes the fibres to stand out in relief. The plaster sets in a very few minutes and keeps perfectly in 
spirit. 
