Citation
Immunological function of the thymus
TL;DR
Thymus removal in newborn mice caused severe immunodeficiency
This foundational paper opens the chapter by revealing that what appeared redundant (the thymus, which atrophies after puberty) was actually essential for immune function. Miller's thymectomized mice couldn't reject grafts or mount normal immune responses, demonstrating the thymus's critical role in T lymphocyte development.
The discovery exemplifies the chapter's central paradox: individual components are often not redundant (they perform essential specific functions), but systems exhibit redundancy at higher levels through multiple overlapping mechanisms.
Key Findings from Miller (1961)
- Thymus removal in newborn mice caused severe immunodeficiency
- Thymectomized mice couldn't reject skin grafts from genetically different mice
- Lymph nodes and spleens showed dramatic depletion of lymphocytes
- Established thymus as essential for T cell development