Early Physicians and BPH
There are many physicians to which we owe a debt of gratitude for their contributions to the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia.
Most historians agree that the prostate was first anatomically described in the mid-1500s by the Italian doctor and anatomist Nicolo Massa.
In his book, “Anatomiae libri introductorius,” which translates to “Introduction to Anatomy,” Massa noted that the bladder rested on a “fleshy gland”, the gland of course being, the prostate.
Although it is debated that the fleshy gland wasn’t called a prostate until, around the same time in history, when the French anatomist Andre du Laurens used the name “prostate”, or “prostatae”- In more recent years, historians have discovered that the French anatomist did indeed call the fleshy gland a prostate, but it was actually the French surgeon Ambroise Paré in his anatomy book, who years prior had referred to this part of the male reproductive system as the prostate.
So what’s the point of all of this? Why should we care who named the prostate gland?
The point is, the male prostate gland has been an area of the male body that has been extensively studied and examined for centuries.
Why is this?
Well for starters, it affects a lot of men.
The enlargement of the prostate gland and the connection that it has with urinary retention and other symptoms in men prompted extensive research and development on finding the cause and figuring out how to treat it.
In our next article, we will dive deeper into the history of treating an enlarged prostate, and the
