A Suffocating Thymus

A three-days-old baby, unable to breathe, and kept alive by artificial respiration of oxygen, was saved at the New York Infirmary for Women and Children when X-ray treatment to reduce an abnormal thymus gland was applied under the direction of Dr. Mary Halton. The thymus is a small ductless gland situated at the base of the neck, whose functions are imperfectly understood, though its secretion or " hormone " is believed to influence children's growth and bone formation. It is present in children from before birth until puberty.

In the present case the thymus was found by X-ray to be much enlarged, and appeared to interfere with the breathing. X-ray applications withered the gland, and in a few hours the baby breathed normally. Physicians are interested in the theory that thymus abnormality may be a possible cause of the death of " blue babies " immediately after birth.