All of us are born with an appendix, a lot of people have it surgically removed. For the past years, the appendix is considered as a "useless organ," which is left over from our evolutionary past without a useful function.
But, what is the actual worth of this 10cm (4 inches) organ in our body?
According to the research conducted over the past decade, the appendix has its purpose, and that we should not be so hasty in discarding it.
Doctors are starting to see the link between certain diseases and loss of appendix, said Dr. Paul Ng, who is a Hong Kong-based specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology. The most notable disease linked to the loss of the organ is chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Dr. Ng believes the reason why such disease occurs is that appendix serves as a "reservoir for good strains of bacteria in the colon - [it is] the Ark of Noah for good bacteria." He explains appendix could help replace good bacteria when a colon loses over the course of a person's life, inhibiting the overgrowth of bad bacteria.
However, appendix remains a mystery among scientists and doctors. For ancient Egyptians, they called it "worm" after discovering the organ while preparing the dead bodies. They use the term as the organ due to its small, tube-like shape. Up to this day, some medical texts are still referring to the organ as "vermiform" - "wormlike" in Latin.
Meanwhile, other claims Leonardo da Vinci was the first to discover the appendix in Western medicine after he drew the human anatomy in 1492. He dissected 30 human corpses by himself and sketches more than just bones and muscles.
According to the South China Morning Post, the first and official description of the appendix was made by Renaissance physician-anatomist Jacopo Berengario da Carpi in 1521. And in 1735, the first ever recorded removal of the appendix was done by Claudius Amyand on an 11-year-old boy.
What Is Appendicitis?
The inflammation of the appendix is called appendicitis, which can be quite dangerous. But, how will you know if your life is in danger because of appendicitis?
As per Dr. Niket Sonpal, an assistant clinical professor at the Touro College of Medicine in New York, when a person is experiencing appendicitis, the pain will start around the belly button before moving to the right side of the abdomen.
Until now, appendicitis is the most common stomach emergency in hospitals. Approximately 7 percent of people in Western countries are at risk of having it removed, according to Dr. Ng. The early onset of appendicitis can be treated with an antibiotic, but Dr. Ng says "most cases require removal by the time of detection."
Although there is no certain way on how to avoid problems in the appendix, the University of Maryland Medical Centre recommends eating more fiber, vegetables, and fruits to prevent the occurrence of the illness.
