The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-05-17
pREvENrIoN OF AppENpIcIrls.
Suggestions Which May Be of Value
to All.

BY SIR William AaceWan has once again
raised the oft.Tecurring question so pain
ful to the public: why is append
eitis so common at the present timer"
This affliction spares neither age nor
sex, and il is equally dreaded in palace
and cottage. The king has been found
among its victims nor has it neglected
the pitiable yagrant on the embank-
ment. An infant of seven weeks has
recently suecumbed TO the baneful in
hammatory process, while a medical
baronet long past the allotted span of
threescore and ten has happily fought
a successful fight against appendicitis
The idle girl, without definite employ
ment. succumbs, as does also the soldier
on active service The schoolboy is
particularly prone, and the affection does
not ignore the high dignitary Of the
church. Can it be that the small blind
Itube placed within the abdomen has
suddenly become vulnerable to assault,
or is it that there is some peculiarly POI
tent force now at work which did not
formerly existl II is not to be denied
that more accurate diagnosis has led
to an apparent increase in the number
OF cases of the complaint, Peritonitis,
or Inflammation of the lining membrane
of the abdomen, has always been q
common and a dreaded malady, but the
precise cause of the inflammation has
been entirely overlooked in the past,
and today it is the opinion OF most med
zeal practitioners that considerably more
than one-half of the cases OF peritonitis
are primarily attributable to an in
flammation of the vernliform appendix.
1t is such an everyday occurrence that
we almost wonder not why our closest
friend has been struck down, but when
our turn may come.
1t may not be, therefore, altogether
without interest to review some Of the
known causes of appendicitis, and see
how they may be avoided. Although
this is strictly a professional subject,
| yet to be forewarned is to be fore
armed, and this must be the excuse
| for discussing it. Some people would
| still seem to cherish the idea that fruit
| stones and pips of all sizes, from the
cherry stone to the small apple pip,
are liable to enter the cavity of the
appendix and there cause dire havoc.
| As regards the cherry stone this is
pure fiction, and the sooner it is dis
posed of the better. When the reader
realizes that the entrance of the tube,
which has a larger diameter than any
other part, will hardly admit in the nor
NAL state the top of an uncut cedar
pencil it will readily be seen that even
moderate sized cherry stone would
have some difficulty in passing in.
That smaller foreign bodies may gain
access to the interior Of the tube Is
undoubtedly true, but the number Of
instances III which such have actually
been discovered within the diseased APP
pendix Il comparatively small a sim
gle duck shot, a small fragment Of
solder from canned meat tin, bristle
from a tooth brush, a spicule from the
lining OF an enameled saucepan and
an ordinary pin have all been known to
find their way into the interior of the
appendix, and once there such bodies
may undoubtedly induce Inflammation
in the matter subsequently described
While, then, admitting that in q few
cases extraneous matters of the char
acter and size mentioned may play som'
part IN the incidence of appendicitis
] we must seek more common cause fol
: the frequency of the affection.
: The human body is constantly harbor
J ing micro organisms, which are eve
ready to attack the tissues, and are es
i peeially capable of doing SO whenevel
} the person is below par, or the particu
+ lar tissue with which they are in con
/ tact has suffered some injury. These
micro organisms, styles bacteria, arr
constantly taken in with food, and more
, particularly so in towns. Being thus
! perpetually reinforced. they are eontinIl
J ally multiplying and able 10 attack any
undefended point. There is, perhaps
nothing which SO tends to assist then
/ multiplication and to increase their vir'
| ulence as hurried and irregular meals
! involving the retention Of imperfectly
! digested food. Then it is that these
. microscopieal organisms will crowd intS
Z what may be called the baek-water o.
9 the appendix, here to stagnate and tx
{ develop powerful poison, which, acting
r upon the walls of the tube, soon pro
] duces inflammation, which is eyidencet
: by pain and all the train Of symptoms
: incident to appendicitis. Take day
+ in the life Of the ordinary city man
who. having risen somewhat later thar
/, usual, finds it necessary to hurry hi
G breakfast, perhaps even to run part o
the way to The station IN order to catcl
a the train, which will enable him to keel
an important appointment.
He is busy through the morning, an
finds that to 60 through his work an
enable him to leave his Office at a re
speetable hour in the afternoon, luncheo
l. must be scramble, though he is un
4 willing to forego his usual full compile
it ment Of diverse food. On reaching HON
d he Is too tired to enjoy a healthy ex
d ercise, and d third meal, i e., dinner
n follows upon the two previous badly d
Is gested meals he has already taken, wit
n the result that the inevitable const
il quences follow. He may keep up thi
unwholesome rush for a while, but b
lg fore long he will feel the necessity fc
N holiday. OFF he goes and perhaT
se opens the bali with tough round {
te golf. or possibly a series or hard sci
n al lawn tennis, or maybe even day
scuIling. Then he is suddenly attacke
with appendicitis and placed in consiC
= cradle danger.
The moral is to eat ones meals d
/, liberately, leaving time for the con
mencement of the process Of digestio
4 before imposing undue strain on Il
N muscles by rushing to the station, {
y the mental faculties by any intellectul