secretion also has another function. The male urethra, it will be remembered, is the outlet not only of the semen, but likewise of the urine. The latter is acid in its reaction, and as the vitality of the spermatozoa is impaired by acid of any kind, the alkaline secretion of the Cowper's glands neutralizes any acid that may remain in the urethra, thus protecting the spermatozoa in their departure from the male generative organ.
A few drops of this secretion may appear whenever there is strong and prolonged sexual excitement, even when the sex act is not contemplated. The occasional appearance of this sticky secretion, under sexual excitement, has often caused young men to worry over the occurrence when they have not known its significance. They may have been led to believe they were losing a vital fluid, as quacks allege in their lurid and misleading advertisements. They may be told they are subject to "spermatorrhea" (involuntary discharge of semen). It should therefore be emphasized that this preliminary secretion from the Cowper's glands is a natural phenomenon during sexual excitement, and is not a sign of debility or disease.
The Prostate Gland. The prostate is a muscular gland about the size of a horse chestnut, surrounding the urethra at the neck of the bladder. Its function is principally sexual, as the gland is not essential to urination.
The component muscular fibres and structures surrounding the prostate, however, assist in maintaining the closure of the bladder and in expelling the urine and seminal secretion. In a diseased state, the prostate is increased in size, and some times causes considerable inconvenience and trouble. Prostatitis is not an uncommon complaint.
That portion of the urethra which goes through the prostate is known as the prostatic urethra. This is a very im-
