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Abstract
The purpose of the present experiments has been to study the thoracic duct lymphocyte output after doses of irradiation which are intended to destroy the thymocytes but leave the reticulum cells intact.
Groups of rats were irradiated locally with 400 R of X-rays to the thymus or the dorsal part of the thorax. Cannulation of the thoracic duct was performed on day 5 after irradiation and the hourly output of lymphocytes was measured. In the thymus-irradiated group the hourly output dropped to about 50 per cent of that in the control group. It is concluded that this is most probably caused by the destruction of the thymocytes and not by an alteration of the humoral function of the thymus. The reduction in the lymphocyte output after irradiation is of the same magnitude as that found after surgical thymectomy. The results support the view that the rat thymus normally contributes large numbers of lymphocytes to the recirculating pool.