The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-23
"APPENDIX DAY"

There is no longer any special dis
tinction in having had ones vermi-
form appendix cut out. The subjects
of this surgical operation ,once con-
sidered themselves "a select and aris-
tocratic company, and were much
given to Boosting of their experience.
Appendectomy is now within the
reach of the humblest, and the coun-
try is filled with surgeons who are
ready to snip out the offending and
useless organ at any hour of the day
or night, and without consulting the
social register.
This might be called "Appendix
Day." for it was just thirty years ago
today that the first operation for APP
pendicitis was performed Cutting
out the appendix is a Yankee notion,
although appendicitis was accurately
described by two celebrated English
physicians, Addison, the discoverer of
Addison's Disease, and Bright, who
gave his name to Brigft's Disease Ad-
Olson and Bright, in their incomplete
ed work on medical practice, an
nounced that the vermiform appen-
dix ''is very subject to inflammation
to liberation, and even to gangrene,''
and is "often detected in the midst
Of the abscess, with perforation at
its extremity, or by liberation higher
up in it's particles
Although Addison and Bright gave
this graphic picture OF appendicitis in
the sos Of the last century, it was not
till many years later that the surgical
nature of the disease, and it's import
anee as the most frequent and fatal
of abdominal disorders, were discov-
cred. American medical men took
the lead in fastening the responsible
ity for intestinal inflammations upon
the appendix, DR.. Fitz, physician,
and the surgeons, Hall, Willard Par
ker, Weir,s Bull and Sans ranking as
pioneers.
In the thirty years that have elaps-
ed since the first surgical removal Of
an appendix, a vast amount of infor-
nation has been added to the store
of medical knowledge in regard to the
cause and cure of appendicitis. 1t has
been found that the location of the
appendix varies considerably, although
normally it is found at what is call
ed McBurney's point. or a. little be-
low this, at LAM point About half
of the cases of appendicitis occur be-
fore the twentieth year, and the dis
ease is infrequent among persons UNI
der ten or over fifty. Males are at
tackled two~or three times as often as
the gentler sex. The exciting cause
has been found to be a bacterial in
lection. The disease assumes various
forms, from very mild attacks to a.
type of the disease which is almost
certainly fatal unless operations is
performed at the outset.
YIe;J
appendix offers the only radical cure.
there is a tendency among some phy-
sicians to decry the universal appli
cation Of the knife to victims of the
disease. Medicines are useless, but a
complete rest. abstinence from food.
enemas, and the application of an ice
bag to the abdomen, constitute a
treatment that is often effective The
statistics of Sahli, covering $40 cases
not operated on, show that ninety-one
per cent. recovered, but that in 1888
casese there was a recurrence Of
the latter, $685. recovered without
further recurrence.
In the milder forms of appendicitis.
most physicians now recommend the
postponement Of operation until the
patient has recovered from the attack.
Such an operation performed while
the patient is in good health is prac-
tically never fatal, and often results,
1t is said, in much improvement in
the general health One fact that
sticks out above all others is that.
when appendicitis is suspected, the
patient should not attempt 70 decide
for himself as to the gravity of the
case. Cases apparently mild, which
might be passed over as a mere "tum
my-ache". may speedily develop into
a general beritonitis and business for
the undertaken.