The statistical significance of biological data.

The pathological and clinical (may I even say surgical ?) approach has thus furnished us with a working hypothesis on which the function of the thymus gland may eventually be elucidated. There are still many difficulties in the way of a final solution, and progress is likely to be slow. It may be thought safer to return for the present to Galen's belief that the thymus is just a cushion to protect the great vessels from contact with the sternum. This would certainly save us all a great deal of trouble.