Abstract
IN this book Prof. Kenelm Digby discusses the functions which may be performed by such structures as the tonsils, the intestinal lymphoid follicles, and the vermiform appendix, all of which are essentially lymphoid organs grouped by the author under the term “subepithelial lymphatic glands.” The disadvantage of these structures in the body is their proneness to bacterial invasion and infection. The tonsils and appendix are, moreover, frequently removed by operation without any apparent effect due to their loss. The utility of these glands has, therefore, been doubted, and the appendix is commonly regarded as a vestigial organ in process of reduction. It is noteworthy that all these structures are located in situations—mouth, throat, and intestine—where large masses of bacteria are present, that they freely ingest bacteria, and that they occur only in birds and mammals, the highest and most differentiated of animals.
Immunity in Health: The Function of the Tonsils and other Subepithelial Lymphatic Glands in the Bodily Economy.
By Prof. K. H. Digby. Pp. viii + 130. (London: Henry Frowde, and Hodder and Stoughton, 1919.) Price 8s. 6d. net.
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H., R. Immunity in Health: The Function of the Tonsils and other Subepithelial Lymphatic Glands in the Bodily Economy . Nature 106, 177 (1920). https://doi.org/10.1038/106177c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/106177c0