Evening journal., 1897-03-15
DREADFUL DISEASE
FORMATION or VALUE TO EvEFY-
BODY ABOUT APPENDICITIS.

and Thirty 1t Is Most to nc Feared.
There is popular and false notion
,at appendicitis is caused by grape
cd, an orange seed or some other foreign
distance getting into the veimiform
opcndix. The true causc is the setting
of inflammation and consequent gan
rene in the tissue of the appendix, us
ally due to insufficient circulation of
lood in the part itself In thousands Of
perations which have taken place
lany in time to save the life Of the pa
.ent and many tco late-thcrc is not
ne authenticated case Of foreign sub
tancc, such as seed, being found in
be appendix. This will be more fully
ealized when one has in mind that the
Interior Of the appendix is only big
nough to admit a medium sized darn
ag needle. It's great liability to disease
due entirely to its low order Of vital
osistanco-that is, it is an organ which
ppears to have no actual use in the
resent machinery of man, but in the
arlier stages Of mans development it
S believed TO have been large pouch
hat played an important part in the
igestive operations. of the human sys-
EN-. BY ages Of diSuse il has gradually
hrunk to its present dimensions and is
inown to science as a vcstigial organ,
me which is only a remnant of its
ormer self and possessing but a vestige
If its original functions.
This becomes more clear if some other
PARTS of the body which now seem TO
lave no use are considered. The tonsils
ue in this class and also the wisdom
eeth, and both are peculiarly subject TO
disease.
The appendix is in one of the most
lelicate aud vital parts Of the body, in
he peritoneal cavity, usually 10 the
light of the center of the abdomen.
But in rare instances it has been found
IN the left side, and still moro rarely
otherwise displaced. This discovery,
made very recently, has caused the sur
seons TO be extremely careful to locate
the trouble before using the knife.
But science never stands still. it al
ways pushes its investigations beyond
mere appearances, and out 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 peritOnitis came from the break
ing down or 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
gical operation and the patient restored
to vigorous health, if the disease was
discovered in time and correctly dag
nosed.
The surgeons now regard the opera
ton itself as one of the most simple
but to obtain the best results it shoulC
take place within few hours after thl
patient begins to suffer from the disease
In fact, the sooner the operation is ha'
the better are the chances of recovery
while if the knife is not resorted Il
death is sure to ensue very promptly o
after lingering miseries from the deadl.
poison perambulating through the sys
TEN and coming to the surface in alb
scesses.
The symptoms are so plain and un
mistakable to the surgeon of today tina
any sufferer may know them for himself
First The attack is always sudden
1t comes on when the person is appai
emily in the best of health and withou
the slightest warning.
Second "A sharp pain is felt in tn
very center of the abdomen. This is al
ways the case, whether the appendix b
in its correct place on the right side c
displaced to the left.
Third "A sore and tender spot, yer
painful to the touch, is located exactl
where the incision must be made to fin
the appendix
These are the three plain symptom
which have been found in thousands {
cases with scarcely variation.
Thus it is that many sudden deatl
occur to persons in robust health The
are thought to have collie on a vertig,
when the truth is that miserable an
useless little organ, the appendix, IN
met with some kind of an accident an
clogs the whole machine.
Appendicitis usually occurs betweC
the ages Of 10 and 80 years. II is e.
tremely rare above or below those age
1t is much more frequent among NAL
than females, The proportion in a
countries being 90 per cent females
80 per cent males.
The cause for this difference is
very recent discovery, and is not ev'
known generally among the medic
profession. DIR. Clado, "a French surge,
and investigator, sought an explanati'
of the comparative immunity of the
male sex from the malady, and disco
cred that the appendix i'm woman has
extra blood vessel that does not exist
man. This discovery was hailed wi
delight by the surgical world. 1t W
not only bit of new knowledge of
finite value, but was an additional pre-
of the theory that the collapse of t
appendix is always due TO its want
vital resistance. New York Journal
Cold Cures.
A plan IL being recommended
French physicians to cure colds by q