Kirschner P A
Ann Thorac Surg. 1987 Mar;43(3):348-9. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(10)60635-2.
In 1936, Alfred Blalock performed the successful removal of a thymic tumor in a patient with myasthenia gravis. The patient experienced marked and sustained improvement for several years. Blalock prophesized then that exploration of the thymic region would be indicated in all patients with severe myasthenia gravis. A few years later, in 1941, he applied this theory by introducing thymectomy for nonthymomatous myasthenia and achieved similar improvement. Despite modern sophisticated knowledge about the disease and advances in thoracic surgical techniques, Blalock's original observations remain valid, and thymectomy has become a standard treatment for myasthenia gravis the world over.
1936年，阿尔弗雷德·布莱洛克成功地为一名重症肌无力患者切除了胸腺肿瘤。该患者病情显著且持续改善了数年。布莱洛克当时预言，所有重症肌无力患者都应进行胸腺区域探查。几年后的1941年，他将这一理论应用于非胸腺瘤性重症肌无力患者的胸腺切除术，并取得了类似的改善效果。尽管如今对该疾病已有深入的专业认识，胸外科技术也有所进步，但布莱洛克最初的观察结果仍然有效，胸腺切除术已成为全球重症肌无力的标准治疗方法。
