The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-12-20
Continued from last week.
HISTORY OF APPENDICITIS
LATEST OPINIONS or PHYSICIANS ON
the HUMAN APPENDIX.
lNey York Sun;


acute appendicitis was advanced more
than by all previous knowledge COM
bined, by McBurney when. in 1889, he
discovered and established the value of
'McBurney's point The introduction
and elaboration. in 1894, by Edeb"hIs,
Of the palpatiOn of the vermifOrm ap-
pendix finally placed us in a position
TO diagnose clearly and positively every
case of chronic, and nearly every case
Of acute appendicitis.
Although there has been belief
that men were more subject to the
disease than women, in a succession of
$4,000 autOpsies appendicitis was found
IN 81 per cent. of the females and 55
per cent. Of the males, and in l28 au-
topsIes reported by another man
evidences of past appendicitis were
found In 60 per cent. of the women and
56 per cent. OF the men. In 800 autopsies
1870 normal appendices were found, all
the Others showing evidences of
i ease. Edebohls finds, clinically, |
that per cent. of all women have ap-
pendicitis. The appendix averages
half inch longer in women than i'm /
men. several hundred autOpsies have
shown as high proportion of cases as
above q per cent. where the appendix
is obliterated. There is only one well
authenticated case OF cOngeniaI absence
Of tho I
happiness of the ancients seem to ap-
pear in the statement that the very ex-
lstence of the appendix does not seem
to have been recognized prior to the
sixteenth century. There is one genu-
inc record of ieft-sided appendicitis, but
1t was the case of a soldier whose body
showed other transpOsition
The first operation for appendicitis,
so far as the records show, was in 1853.
That was for the purpose of draining
an abcess, not for the removal of the
appendix. The inauguration of the
modern surgical treatment Of appendi-
cular abcesses did not come until 1867,
DIR. Edebohls says, and That led to the
surgery of the appendix itself AS it is
now practised. The doctor continue:
The first recorded operation on the
appendix itself was planned by Dr. Ma
homed and executed on August "A, 1883,
by Symonds. Mahomed diagnOsticat-
Gu stone In the appendix SymOn II
removed the stone, three-fourths b.
one half inch In size. and closed the
opening of the appendix. The patient
recovered and was cured of all his
symptoms. In connection with this
case SymOnds becomes prophetic in
relation to the future removal of the
in similar cases. | have
found but three other instances of O..
Grafton upon the appendix stopping
short of its removal. Kroemlien ON
February ii, 1894. performed the first
of theI appendix for acute ap
pendicitis.
Other doctors followed. DR.. Eide
bohls remarks that these early append
cectOmies had in common one dis
couraging feature" All of them were
fatal. The first successful removal of
he appendix was performed OH Nav s.
1886, and thereafter" DIR Edebohls
avs, removal of the appendix in acute
appendicitis rapidly became a recog-
llzed and oft-undertaken procedure.
As early as 1889, McBurney reported
even appendicectomies of his own,
With six recoveries and one deal h
'ince that time scores of operators
lumber their appendicectomies for
cute appendicitis by the hundreds.
ince 1890 the large majorities Of sur
cons with a name advocate removal of
he appendix in acute appendicitis as
ne routine procedure, always to be at :
smpted save under most exceptional
onditions. In direct opposition to the /,
lOdern tendency to remove the APP
endix whenever feasible. and vainly :
tempting to stem the tide. We find DR..
NJ Barton, of Philadelphia. as late as
594, and few others even more re. )
entity, preaching the ioctriue of Ieav- .
" the appendix in operation for acute
ppendicitis, claiming better results
ON this practice. That this claim ,
1es not hold good in the work of !
stter operators goes without saving" :