The Thymus Gland and Aging (1983)

Editorials1 January 1983The Thymus Gland and AgingMARC E. WEKSLER, M.D.MARC E. WEKSLER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-98-1-105_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTwenty years ago R.A. Good (1) and J.F.A.P. Miller (2) discovered the immunologic function of the thymus gland. These investigators showed that the removal of the thymus early in life prevented the normal development of the immune system. The functions of the thymus are now recognized to include secretion of polypeptide hormones and the differentiation of precursor T lymphocytes that migrate to the gland from the bone marrow.Thirty years before the function of the thymus gland had been discovered, Edith Boyd (3) found that the human thymus undergoes a striking involution beginning at sexual maturity. By middle age the...References1. 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