1940's medical procedure

[maay100@bgumail.bgu.ac.il (Quastel)]

        It was also abandoned when it was found by L H Hempelmann and
colleagues that children who had been irradiated to 'shrink the thymus',
the idea being to avoid crib death, were later subject to an increased risk
of thyroid cancer (Pifer and Hempelmann Ann N Y Acad Sci 1964; Hempelmann
LH et al, J Natl Cancer Inst 1967;38:317-41, 114:838-48 through to Shore et
al. J Natl Cancer Inst 1985;74:1177-84.

        The thymus of course is one of the key organs of the immune system
and is critical to the generation of immune diversity of lymphocytes,
particularly T cells, so important at an early age, which may account for
its increased size in childhood.

                                Michael Quastel MD PhD
                                Nuclear Medicine
                                Soroka Medical Center
                                Faculty of Health Sciences
                                Ben Gurion University of the Negev
                                Beer Sheva, Israel

>I have seen reports in the liturature of x-ray treatment to shrink
>"enlarged thymus glands" (not thyroid) of infants and young
>children.  The practivce ws discontinued when it was realized that
>the thymus glands of  infants and young children were relatively
>large at birth,  and then the child "grew into' them.
>
>Good luck with your search Liz.
>
>Tom Hasselbacher
>tom@safety.ehs.uconn.edu
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