THE THYMUS 337 



F. Pathology of the Thymus 



Perhaps the chief medical interest attaching to the thymus 

 arises from certain remarkable cases of thymic death (" mors 

 thy mica "). In cases of thymic enlargement the essential 

 symptom is a respiratory disturbance resulting from the 

 diminution of space in the superior thoracic strait. This 

 disturbance may vary from a mild stridor to a fatal dyspnoea. 

 Sometimes the dyspnoea is of an asthmatic character (" thymic 

 asthma "). 



" Mors thymica " is a term applied to those cases in which 

 death occurs suddenly, without a definite history of previous 

 respiratory difficulty. This may happen even when there 

 are no other symptoms of the status lymphaticus, but very 

 frequently this condition is present, and the thymus enlarge- 

 ment is associated with adenoids, and with enlarged tonsils 

 and lymphatic glands. 



The cause of death in these cases has been the subject of 

 much discussion. It is probable that in the majority of 

 instances the case is one of suffocation from tracheal stenosis 

 and secondary laryngeal spasm. It seems certain that many 

 cases of so-called " mors thymica " are not of thymic origin. 

 At any rate, a detailed discussion of this subject is not likely 

 to shed light on the function of the organ. 



Some cases of Addison's disease appear to be combined 

 with the status lymphaticus. 



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