Surgical Significance of the Thymus

Abstract

THE thymus has been called the organ of mystery. Galen so described it and considered it a pad to protect the vena cava from the hard inner surface of the sternum. Today, one suspects that this body is more important than Galen believed, but little is known of its function. Certainly, it is of importance in myasthenia gravis, and it frequently enters into the diagnosis of mediastinal tumors. These two considerations have prompted us to review our experience as the basis for this report.Twenty-four thymectomies were performed from 1928–1958. Seven of these were in patients with myasthenia gravis who . . .