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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Unpublished paper, 'A physiological inquiry into the uses of the thymus gland' by John Tuson

Reference number: AP/15/29

Date: 30 May 1832

Description

Tuson describes his investigations of the thymus gland, determining that its purpose is to function as a blood receptacle during respiration as well as a receptacle for 'osseus' matter prior to ossification during the early stages of growth. John George Children's initials appear below the date received.

Subject: Physiology

Written by Tuson at Russell Place [London]. Communicated by J C [Joseph Constantine] Carpue. Received by the Royal Society on 31 May 1832.

Whilst the Royal Society declined to publish this paper in full, an abstract of the paper was published in volume 3 of Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London [later Proceedings of the Royal Society] as 'A physiological inquiry into the uses of the thymus gland'.

Reference number
AP/15/29
Earliest possible date
30 May 1832
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
8 pages
Format
Manuscript

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Citation

Unpublished paper, 'A physiological inquiry into the uses of the thymus gland' by John Tuson, 30 May 1832, AP/15/29, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_15_29/unpublished-paper-a-physiological-inquiry-into-the-uses-of-the-thymus-gland-by-john-tuson, accessed on 08 February 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_15_29/unpublished-paper-a-physiological-inquiry-into-the-uses-of-the-thymus-gland-by-john-tuson

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  • Archived Papers

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

    Dates: 1768 - 1989

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