Endocrine Function of the Thymus

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Abstract
The immunologic function of the thymus was established in 1961, when it was shown that neonatally thymectomized mice were susceptible to infection, often died prematurely, and had a diminished population of lymphocytes in blood and tissues and an impaired capacity to reject alien skin.1 These findings have been widely confirmed and extended to other species, and it is now known that lymphocytes can be divided into two major categories: thymus-derived, or T, cells involved in cellular immunity (e.g., cellular resistance to infection, delayed hypersensitivity reactions), and non-thymus-derived or B cells (originating from the bursa of Fabricius in birds and from . . .