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Thymus Gland Pathology pp 1–12Cite as

The Thymus from Antiquity to the Present Day: the History of a Mysterious Gland

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Abstract

The thymus is a lymphatic organ situated in the thorax, known since the 1st century AD. The officinal plant of the same name had been known for several centuries, since the time of the ancient Egyptians who, as it seems, appreciated its therapeutical properties. The name of the gland seems to come from the thyme plant, possibly due to the resemblance — fairly vague, to tell the truth — of the lobes of the gland to the plant leaves (Fig. 1.1).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialities Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia General Hospital, Modena, Italy

    Corrado Lavini

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  1. Corrado Lavini
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery and Surgical Specialities Division of Thoracic Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia General Hospital, Modena, Italy

    Corrado Lavini  & Uliano Morandi  & 

  2. Institute of Thoracic Pathology, University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Cesar A. Moran

  3. Division of Neurology, Bolzano Hospital, Bolzano, Italy

    Rudolf Schoenhuber

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Lavini, C. (2008). The Thymus from Antiquity to the Present Day: the History of a Mysterious Gland. In: Lavini, C., Moran, C.A., Morandi, U., Schoenhuber, R. (eds) Thymus Gland Pathology. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0828-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0828-1_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-0827-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-0828-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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