Functional Histogenesis of the Lymphoid Organs

Abstract

The lymphoid organs play a major role in the defence mechanisms of the body. Their lymphoid cells have a special function in immune responses, the small lymphocyte being a carrier of immunological information1. The production pathway of lymphocytes is from a large ‘blast’ cell, through successive mitotic divisions, to small lymphocytes which are mobile cells with little cytoplasm. At one time small lymphocytes were thought to be end cells but they are now known to be capable of further differentiation following contact with antigenic (immunogenic) material.