The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-22
MANS INTERNAL DEATH TRAP.
The Curious Part of the human
Structure trait Constantly Goes
Wrong and Kills,
New York Sun 1

iaSppelIies' anu the like upon the fruit
stands there arises in the minds of all persops.
net especially of parents, morbid interest
In the appendix Uermifofmis, or yermiform
appendix. This interest almost dies ont
during the winter, when the yermiform an
pendix mas only oranges and collar buttons
ana shirt studs to bring 1t into prominence.
But with the coming of the fruits with small
seeds the vermiform appendix becomes a
STOCK topic OF conversation, and lays low
many victim among the budding male
youth of the land.
Nobody can be quite certain that he has
vermiform appendix unles he gets some
thing the matter with it. For the doctors
have dissected people in whom there was no
trace OF vermiform appendix. This, how
ever, is rare, and most of the human beings
who read this article may have the proud as
| surance that it tells of something In which
| they have a part.
Those who hold to the evolution theory
have no difficulty in accounting for the verm-
form appendix. They say that it belongs to
| class of rudimentary structures left In the
bodies OF all organized things by the process
Of evolution. There are certain muscles In
the human body which have no use at all,
but simply stand as remnants of muscles
which are developed and useful In the bodies
of some animals of the lower orders. The
human animal has developed into an environ
ment in which these muscles are no longer
useful. In the course of ages they will dis
appear: Now they are still represented In a
shrivelled and innOcuous state.
so 1t is in the vermiform appendix accord
Ing to the evolution scientists. There was a
time when it was developed and had an i'm.
portant place in the economy Of life. 1t still
Exists In some of the lower animals in its
complete form. In the human animals 1t is
shrivelled and is no longer useful.
On this last point all agreed. 1t does no
good. 1t does much harm. In fact, it never
does anything unless 1t does harm. That Is
why some pathoioglst few years ago gave
trap, It is now called when the doctors de-
scend from the mist-enshrouded heights of
Latin and Greek medical terms to the ordi-
nary language of laymen.
The death trap" is small, worm shaped
tube. the opening of which is of about the
length In different human beings. Some
times 1t is six inches long and sometimes it
is but three inches long. 1t extends from
the cccum, which is the technical name for
the upper end of the larger intestine. 1t
leaves the c@cum at a point near the valve
through which the contents of the small in
testine are discharged into the large in
testine. Over its mouth there is sometimes
valve and sometimes not. Generally the
gangeI Is ~ mp ana only adds to the
II Is found in most men and animals, ex-
cept the orang outang and the wombat.
sometimes 1t curves directly back from the
c@cum. Again 1t winds around the illum,
and again 1t extends along the colon.
To grasp fully the danger of this useless
tube, which Is blunt at its other end, some
explanation about the cacum Is necessary,
The c@cum Is a sort Of expansion of the up
per end OF the large intestine. 1t is about
two inches In diameter, and receives the
discharge OF the same intestine. Therefore
all the undigestlble matter that enters the
stomach lodges in the c@cum on its way out
OF the system. As the opening to the cnl de-
some Of this undigestible matter may enter
the death trap" and may remain there.
In some of the lower animals this vermi-
form appendix Is larger, and forming part of
the upper end Of the large intestine, acts as
sort OF subsidiary stomach. This Is especial
ytrue Of those animals which subsist upon
vegetable diet, and, eating a much larger
bulk, need more extensive digestive az
paratus.
II You can imagine The stomach as being
no Ionger useful and as shriyelIed up from
t aYe w that P apd Of g ths Lee
would form such culde-sac. This is what
has happened to the cecum. Part of 1t has
shrlvelled and the vermiform appendix is
the result
On account Of its smallness and of the
halt-closed position of its entrance under
ordinary circumstances, the death trap" Is
not the terrible danger that it might be. But
this article may show that 1t is far greater
menace to the lives of human beings than is
generally supposed.
When the indigestible remnant of the
food has entered the coacum from the small
lntestlnes it stops there for little while,
and then passes on. But the cecum is a sort
apparatus of healthy person may be strong
enough to push from the stomach and from
the small intestines not only all indigestible
dangerous microbes which may have entered
at the mouth with the food. But here In the
csecum they stop for a moment.
The mouth of the death trap is open and,
through unusual pressure or through accci-
dentally favorable position of the vermiform
appendix, these germs or part of this indi.
gestible matter may enter the vermiform
appendix.
The vermiform appendix is lined with a
mucous membrane, but it differs from the
rest OF the intestinal canal in having only a
few very feeble muscles 1t is therefore un-
able to eject anything that may enter it.
Say that an orange or cherry seed is pass
ing through the system when this canal is
constlpated. 1t may be pushed into this cul-
de-sac to remain there and never to leave un-
til the surgeons knife reaches it.
And, staying there 1t may do no harm. A
sac may be formed about it, and it may even
40 good In preventing anything from pass
ing up into the death trap. But again it may
cause death. For an Inflammation may set
up about 1t, and communicate to the cecum
and to all the other adjacent parts. Or it
may set to work to push itself out with the
aid OF this liberation, and may penetrate the
wall OF the appendix and produce peritonitis
To this form Of danger boys between 10
and 70 years seem to be most liable. In
younger boys or in men and in all females
the danger Is not SO great because of the diff
ferent formations of the appendix.
But seeds are not the only dangers, or even
pits OF foreign substances, snch as pins.
needles, buttons, and so on. The germs
which have been mentioned form the most
serious danger Several high medical authc-
that its part in the causing of disease and
death has been much neglected. And ons
German writer calls attention to the fact
that In his own experience of 800 bodies ex-
amined every third body showed traces Of
present or past inflammation of the appen-
dix, while five per cent. showed present in
hammati0n. Other observers have found
the percentage even greater.
lt seems reasonable to suppose that germs
OF dangerous diseases, ,pausiDg for the first
being forced into the appendix to lodge
there, might do great harm, A seed or a
bit OF foreign substance of another kind
might have been there before and might
have set up small Inflammation. Then the
germ would have something to seize upon.
and the entire system might become infected.
In many cases of consumption and other
equally dangerous diseases, physicians have
felt sure that the death trap was the bottom
of the trouble.
The ordinary disease directly traceable to
the death trap is typhlitis, an Inflammation
OF the mucous membrane, which either
speedily passes or else aggravateS itself into
perltyphlltis, and progresses so far that a
surgical operation Is necessary.
!, Seeds and bits of foreign substances are
the main cause of this. The present sum
mer will see cases of death or of surgery on
account OF 1t recorded almost daily.
The mortality from typhitis-and this in
GUIDES typhlitis from foreign substances in
any part OF the intestines-is 70 per cent. for
children and 80 per cent. for adults, 1t at
lacks boys between 10 and 20 years of age as
has been said, and they seem to have little
power of resisting it.
There has been much discussion among
medical men as to when the operation should
take place, whether at an early stage of the
disease or after the disease has become malig-
nant. The weight of authority is against a
long delay In cutting into the intestines.
The suffering Is acute and, as has been
stated, the death rate Is high. Mothers can.
not be too careful about their children swal-
lowing foreign substances. And parents
should look well to their boys at this time of
ynn hAr. -.