| Citation | It was the result of Dr. Miller's investigations of the influence of the thymus in leukaemia that the profound effects of theymectomy on lymphopoiesis and immunogenesis became evident. This established that the thymus was essential during early life for the complete development of a normal immune system. It was also established that the thymus, even in adult life, is essential to maintain an adequate pool of immunologically competent cells. Grafting of thymus tissue or injecting competent lymphocytes reversed the effects of thymectomy. Dr. Miller showed that the thymus exerts its effects in part by directing the differentiation of lymphoid precursor cells by means of a humoral factor.
All these and other related discoveries have opened up wide areas of research not only in the field of tissue transplantation but also in management of certain immunological deficiency syndromes. Finally he showed that removal of the thymus at birth favoured the development of certain types of cancer that occur as a result of chemical and virus treatments. This was experimental evidence for the notion that normal immune reactions are necessary to limit the appearance of tumours. |