# What is the prostate?

Gray’s Anatomy (1918) describes the prostate as follows: The prostate is a firm, partly glandular and partly muscular body, which is placed immediately below the internal urethral orifice and around the commencement of the urethra.

## What it means

- The prostate is a firm, partly glandular and partly muscular body, which is placed immediately below the internal urethral orifice and around the commencement of the urethra. It is situated in the pelvic cavity, below the lower part of the symphysis pubis, above the superior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm, and in front of the rectum, through which it may be distinctly felt, especially when enlarged.
- It is about the size of a chestnut and somewhat conical in shape, and presents for examination a base, an apex, an anterior, a posterior and two lateral surfaces. The base ( basis prostatæ ) is directed upward, and is applied to the inferior surface of the bladder, The greater part of this surface is directly continuous with the bladder wall; the urethra penetrates it nearer its anterior than its posterior border.
- The apex ( apex prostatæ ) is directed downward, and is in contact with the superior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/3c-6-the-prostate/)

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