FATE OF THE LYMPHOCYTE

Abstract

Although the count of circulating lymphocytes in the blood stream remains constant, more lymphocytes enter the blood from the thoracic duct during 24 hours than are present in the blood at any one time. This excess of lymphocytes is not destroyed in the blood stream. The cells migrate from the blood vessels into the mucous membranes and through them to their surface. This occurs chiefly in the gastrointestinal tract, and it is apparently in the mucosa and especially within the intestinal lumen that the function of the lymphocyte is normally performed.