Events that led to the discovery of T-cell development and function - A personal recollection

Abstract

The 1950s, 60s, and 70s were an exciting time for immunologists, as major discoveries were made concerning the role of the thymus in immunity and the existence of two distinct but interacting lymphocyte subsets, one derived from the thymus (T cells) and involved in cellular immunity, helping the other subset, derived from the bone marrow (B cells), in producing antibody. This led to a re-investigation of numerous immunological phenomena to determine the contribution of each subset to the particular immune response under scrutiny.