For the past ten or more years the problem of absorption of medicinal solution from the lower urinary tract has been under in vestigation in the Department of Urology, a problem having a vital relation to therapeutic procedures. The present study constitutes a part of this research project.
The urinary bladder is an organ, as is well known, endowed with a peculiar function. The absorption phenomenon especially of water from the bladder has been noted for nearly 130 years and evidence indicates that this has been both demonstrated and utilized. However, the results as published in 50 or more papers on this subject here reviewed are by no means uniform. There are a number of studies in which positive absorption of medicinal solutions from the bladder has been demonstrated, but at the same time approximately the same number of studies give negative evidence on this subject. With advances in modern medicine, this problem has been by no means conclusive as the subject is both broad and variagated. This is chiefly due to the fact that the bladder behaves somewhat differently according to the kind as the concentration of medicinal solution under investigation. The papers published by Frey (1923), So (1927), Shigematsu (1921), Hishiikawa (1928), Schär (1938), Alvarez-Ierena (1952), Shibata (1950), Maluf (1953) are some of the representative results here in question.
Abe (1950) in this Department made observations on the absorptive function of the bladder in regard to 19 different drugs, of which 8 were clearly absorbed, 8 were attended by exudation, while the remaing 3 were indifferent. The interpretation of these varied results is difficult, but Prof. Tabayashi believes that a rational conclusion would not be possible unless many more drugs are tried and histological as well as biochemical aspects are clarified. Researches published by of (1952), Sahako (1954), Sasaki (1955) and Morishima (1955) represent these endeavors. The investigation of the present author here summarised is a biochemical study of this subject employing sugar solutions in place of salt solutions as done by Sasaki.
The experimental method consited of instilling 20cc each of 0, 2, 5, 10 and 20per cent solutions of sugar into the isolated bladders of rabbits and of removing the contents at intervals of 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours after wards. The samples were analyzed as to the changes in volume and the variations in the content as the cocentration of sugar. Quantitative determinations of sugar were made by means of photoelectric colorimeter and by Hagedorn's method. The results obtained on 200 rabbits are presented in 21 tables and 14 figures. The test solutions have been classified, with 5per cent solution as the isotonic zone, into hypotonic (0-2.0per cent) and hypertonic (10-20per cent). Incidentally the curves for 5per cent solution and for 2per cent solution are essentially similar. With a 2per cent solution are essentially similar. With a 2per cent solution, both the fluid volume and sugar content were decreased, giving the absorption values of 0.75cc (3.75%) cent at 1 hour, 1.42cc (7.08%) at 2 hours, 2.80cc (14%) at 4 hours, and the decrease of sugar concentration of 0.038g (9.375%) at 1 hour and 0.052g (6.25%) at 2 hours. With a 5per cent solution, the absorption occurred to the extent of 0.78cc (4.37%) at 1 hour and 0.90cc (4.50%) at 2 hours, while at 4 hours a slight increase of (0.25%) was noted. In regard to the sugar content, all determinations indicated positive absorption, namely, 0.16g (16%) at 1 hour, 0.168g (16.80%) at 2 hours and 0.175g (17.50%) at 4 hours. Quite comfarable figures were obtained at 24 hours with both solutions, namely 2.008% with 2per cent solution and 2.089% with 5per cent solution.
On the other hand, with hypotonic solutions (10-20per cent) the exudation of water and the absorption of sugar are both very pronounced. With 10per cent solution, the increased values were 1.50cc (7.50%) at 1 hour

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This is a text of the special address given at the 19th Annual Joint Meeting of the Kanto-Tohoku Chapters of the Japanese Urological Society, held at the Yokohama University on October 31, 1954.

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Two cases of the prostatic sarcoma are presented which were lately encountered and correspond to the 44th and the 45th of the disease in Japan.
One case was seen in a farmer aged fifty-eight. The initial symptoms were hematuria and dysuria. The patient died at the tenth month. Postmortem examination revealed a rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate metastasizing to the lung and the pleura.
Another case was encountered in a boy of sixteen years old, who had been admitted with the complaint of acute urinary retention. He was submitted to the total prostatectomy and trigonal cystectomy for the prostatic tumor which was proved to be a leiomyosarcoma by histological examination. Recidiv and metastases occurred and he expired at the seventh month. On autopsy were found metastases of the tumor to the lung, pleura, rib and the spine.
Among the forty-five cases of the prostatic sarcoma reported in Japan there are eight cases (17.8%) that are myogenic or at least contain myogenic elements.

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