Lymph, lymphomania, lymphotrophy, and HIV lymphocytopathy: an historical perspective

From 1578-1628, Fabricius and his pupils, Asellius and Harvey, sequentially laid the foundations for the modern sciences of comparative anatomy, lymphology and circulation, as well as a state of lympho-philia or "-mania" which persists to the present time. Lymphomania persists because there remains a fundamental controversy and ignorance about the precise functions of lymph, lymphatics, lymph glands, lymphocytes, and the bursa of Fabricius. In 1778, William Hewson deduced that lymph effluent from lymph glands contains globular particles essential to normal body growth and tissue repair. In 1878, Claude Bernard recognized that lymph is a composite emanating from all body cells which forms the circulating blood plasma in order to sustain homeostasis throughout the internal milieu. From 1890-1960, many observers confirmed older concepts that lymph, lymph glands, and lymphocytes develop to nourish and regulate cell growth throughout the body. However, since 1960 characterization of "T-" and "B-" cells, respectively derived from thymus and the avian bursa, has revolutionized conceptual immunology, almost to the exclusion of older trophic concepts of lymph, lymph gland and lymphocyte functions. Therefore, homeostasis is considered here in terms of lymph circulation from and to respiring cells, as well as in homeostatic "failures" commonly found in persons infected with lymphotropic retroviruses.