JARGON BUSTER

SCiEntiFiC terms decoded. this week: Lymph nodes ROUND or bean-shaped, these help to protect us against invading bacteria and viruses.

The nodes, found all over the body but in clusters in certain areas, such as the groin and armpits, are in fact not glands. They are balls of tissue that trap bacteria and viruses in lymph — the watery fluid that circulates in lymph vessels to carry toxins away from the tissue.

The word ‘lymph’ comes from the Latin lympha, which relates to water.

Within lymph are lymphocytes, cells that help fight off invading bacteria and viruses. Lymphocytes can alert other killer cells of an attack, which is why the nodes in our armpits or groin may become swollen when we are unwell.