The Mysteries of Immunity

The Vital Role of the Thymus Gland

The thymus, two oval lobes just behind the breastbone, is large in early infancy, as pictured, but by age or ten, begins to atrophy. In adults, the thymus has shrunk to about thumb-size. It is responsible for the development of the immune system. In infancy, it produce cells called lymphocytes that are coded to recognize and protect the body's own tissues, while they trigger an immune response against invaders. Later, the lymph nodes, bone marrow, and spleen take over the job of producing lymphocytes.

How does the body defend itself against desease?

The body has very impressive armaments to ward off diseases, ranging from the skin, which acts as a barrier to infection, to acids in the stomach that kill bacteria, to mucus in the respiratory and urogenital tracts that carry off alien particles. But the most intricate and until modern times most mysterious defences are those to be found in your blood and lymph nodes. Scavenger white blood cells and certain substances called anti bodies in the blood are the warriors of your immine system., capable of destroying harmful invaders. The mechanisms of immunity arr remarkable complex, and some scientist believe that an understanding and manipulation of antibodies and other subtances in the blood will eventually revolutionize medical care. Almost everyone is born with an intact but undeveloped immune system, which matures shortly after birth. During this maturation period, the infant's immunity is supplemented by factors acquired from the mother's blood and milk. Human beings are also naturaly immune to many diseases that afllict animals. How efficiency your immune system works depends to some extent on heredity, but eating and working habits also have an influence on it.