The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1897-08-02
L DREADFUL DISEASE
INFORMATION OF VALUE TO EVERY
BODY ABOUT APPENDICITIS.


A Dangerous superfaity-PopuIar Errors
on the snEject-How to Recognize the
Danger Sisns-Between the Ages of Ten
anu Thirty It Is Most to Be Feared.
There is a popular and false notion
that appendicitis is caused by grape
seed, al Grange seed or some other foreign
substance getting into the vermiform
appendix. The true cause is the setting
up of Inflammation and consequent gan
creme in the tissue of the appendix, us
ually due to insufficient circulation Of
blood in the part itself In thousands Of
operations which have taken place
many In time to save the life Of the pa
tient and many tco 1ate-there is not
enc authenticated case of foreign sub
etance, such as a seed, being found IN
the appendix. This viii be more fully
realized when one has IN mind that the
interior of the appendix is only big
enough to admit medium sized darn
ing needle. It's great liability to disease
is due entirely to its low order Of vital
resistance-that is, it is an organ which
appears to have no actual use in the
present machinery of man, but in the
earlier stages of mans development 1t
is believed TO have been a large pouch
that played an important part in the
digestive operations Of the human sys-
tenn. By ages Of disuse it has gradually
sErunk to its present dimensions and is
known to science as q vestigial organ,
one which is only a remnant Of Its
former self and possessing bat s yestlge
Of IFS original functions.
This becomes more clear IL sine other
parts of the body which nov seem to
have 10 use ere considered. Tie toEsils
are in this class and also the wisdom
teeth, and beth are peculiarly subject to
disease.
Tbs appendix is in one q the most
delaease e q itsI parts q, the body, IN
the peIitoz ses1 cavity, usually TO the
xlgnk OF the ezeenter Of the abdomen.
Bat III rare DISTANCES it has been found
on the lefs side, al ID still more rarely
otherwise displaced This discovery,
made very recently, has Scaused the sur
eeons to be extremely cayea.srl to lecate
the trouble before using the kIl4zzs ~
But science never stands still. 1t TO-
ways pushes its Investigations beyond |
mere appearances, and cut Of the myte- |
ries of nature develops facts which give
it power and might When it was once
proved that the poison which produced
septic peritcnitis came from the break
ing down OF decay Of the appendix,
the very root Of one Of mans worst |
physical foes was laid bare. Further
practice established beyond Doubt that
IN large majority Of cases the appen-
dix could be removed by a simple sur
gieal operation and the patient restored
10 vigorous health, if the disease was
discovered in time and correctly dag
nosed.
The surgeons now regard the opera
Eon itself as one of the most simple.
5ut 60 obtain the best results it should
take place within few hours after the
patient begins TO suffer from the disease.
In fact, the sooner the operation is had
the better are the chances of recovery,
while If TIE knife is not resorted to
death is sure to ensue very promptly or
sitter lingering miseries from the deadly
poison perambu,ating through the sys-
ten end coming TO the surface IN alb
scesses.
The symptoms are so plain and IN
nistahable to the surgeon Of today that
any sufferer may know them for himself:
First.-The attack is always sudden
IT comes On when the person is appar-
emily in the best Of health and without
the slightest warning.
Second "A sharp pain is felt IN the
very center Of the abdomen. This is al |
vavs the case, whether the appendix be /
IN its correct place on the right side CT
displaced to the left
Third.--A sore and tender spot, very |
painful to the touch, is located exactly |
where the incision must be made to find |
the appendix
These are the three plain symptoms |
which have been found in thousands OF |
eases with scarcely variation
- Thus it is that many sudden deaths !
occGr to persons IN robust health They
are thought to have collie or vertigo. |
when the truth is that miserable and
useless little ergan, the appendix, has
.nes with some kind Of an accident and
clogs the whole machine.
Appendicitis usually occurs between
the ages of 10 and 80 years. 1t is ex-
tremely rare above or below those ages
&c is much more frequent among males
than females, the proportion in all
countries Being 20 per cent females to
SO per cent males
The cause for this difference is Of
very recent discovery, and is not even
known generally among the medical
profession. Dr. Clado, French surgeon
and investigator, sought en- explanation
cf the. comparative Immunity Of the fe-
male sex from the malady, and discov-
cred that tie appendix in woman has an
extra blood vessel that does not exist IN
mar. This discovery was hailed with
delight by the surgical world 1t was
not cnly bit Of new knowledge Of in-
finite value, but was an additional proof
of the theory that the collapse of the
appendix is always due to its want OF