Ambrose C T
Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Scand J Immunol. 2007 Oct;66(4):486-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2007.01969.x.
Basic immunology can be said to have its origin in the mid-17th-century with the discovery of the peripheral lymphatics. They completed the gross anatomical picture of the lymphatic system, which is the basis for much of the immune response. Their recognition almost simultaneously by two Scandinavian anatomists led to a protracted war of words over priority of discovery, pitting a young Swedish medical student (Olof Rudbeck) against an honored Danish anatomy professor (Thomas Bartholin). In a 752-word letter in Latin, Rudbeck charged Bartholin with pre-dating a key observation, thereby giving priority of discovery to the latter. The purpose of this paper is to provide an English translation of this accusatory letter. It is a notable document in basic immunology, for it cites much of the knowledge then current in the field. And by raising the issue of priority, the letter indirectly piqued the interest of the scientific community in the lymphatic system and hastened its study. Examining the system's various functions in health and disease led to this new discipline.
基础免疫学可以说是起源于17世纪中叶，随着外周淋巴管的发现而诞生。它们完善了淋巴系统的大体解剖学图景，而淋巴系统是许多免疫反应的基础。两位斯堪的纳维亚解剖学家几乎同时发现了它们，这引发了一场关于发现优先权的持久口水战，一方是年轻的瑞典医科学生（奥洛夫·鲁德贝克），另一方是备受尊敬的丹麦解剖学教授（托马斯·巴托林）。在一封752字的拉丁文中，鲁德贝克指控巴托林提前进行了一项关键观察，从而将发现优先权给了后者。本文的目的是提供这封指控信的英文译文。它是基础免疫学中的一份重要文件，因为它引用了当时该领域的许多知识。而且通过提出优先权问题，这封信间接地激发了科学界对淋巴系统的兴趣，并加速了对其的研究。对该系统在健康和疾病中的各种功能进行研究，从而催生了这一新学科。
