Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-05
BY J. II. KELLOGG, NJ. d., IL. D.

LIVERY person who has had his ap'
IL pcndlx removed has lost u useful
organ Thc popular idea that the ap-
pcndiX is useless remnant. h Ncstigc
Of a prehistoric stomach shrnnkcn TO
Insignificant proportions Is absolutely
basclcss and erroneous.
Since parwin's announcement of his
discovery Of progressive evolutionary
changes in animal bodies, the notion has
developed that man rs we'll rs other
animals has u lot as agc-worn and usc-
lcss furniture lyHE about iu his body
which he would bc better off without.
First. tac apucudN vns condemned as
not only useless, but positively dang"r-
OiIs. y NcTitablc mHu-trnp ready to spring
at any moment aud develop ~ fatal dis
ease, n constant menace, 80 Nirulcnt ana
incorrighlc an enemy to life that II
ought to he cNtcrminatcd.
with this idea in mind. II has been
the practice of many surgeons To sacrifice
the appendix Oh sight, whether diseased
or not. Indeed. an eminent American
surgeon publicly stated not long ago
that the appendix Of adults iS always
diseased. Not a few surgeons have Tor
years madc removal of the appendix a
I''lll ~ lil'll TIE 'llslI l'''li'' W wv ~
druiual operations. quite likely mil
lion. people or more have had the appcn-
diN removed either toy primary operation
or a. an incidental accompaniment "i
some other operation
\ uOtahlc fact in connection with this
slaughter Of inuoccnts is that virtually
every person who has had tine APPENDIX
removed suffers from constipation II
* possible Of course. that In some cases
the constipation existed before the APP
pcudiN was removed and may have been
a cause of Hrut" or chronic disease u'
tho an"tpdiN But the truth IS. as
pointed oUt 10y Andrews and others years
ago. that the appendix has a useful
| function the loss Of which "ripplcS the
colon and renders constipation an incyi-
| table result
/ The aupcudx is part Of tho lubri-
| eating apparatus OF the colon Like any
other piccc OF machinery. the colon needs
/ lubrjcation. nature provides Il highly
/ efficient luhrica ting matcrial-muCuS--
/ wherever there is any possibility of fric-
! tiuu, as in the mouth. the stomach, the
| small intestine. the colon and the rcctum.
| At the head uf the colon is placed the
! appendix. IA big mucous gland or follirl".
| Professor Maccwcn, 0f Edinburgh,
many years ago noted that when con-
! traction wave passes over lhc cplpn "
starts with the TN Of the appendix.
The purpose "r this arrangement is
/ evident. Before tho colon begins to push
| along its contents. film of limpd mu-
. Gus Is spread over the mass 50 that Il
may slip easily along over the surface
of the mucous membrane, thus prevent
, ing the Cloggng when might easily Oc-
. cur At kinks and corners, i'm pockets
and folds MucuS Is also scCrCtcd along
/ this lining surface Of the colon ny nu-
merous glands. but thc appendix is a
/ special and most active luhri,Itor which
operates in syuchrOu>m with the colon
storing up a spoonful Of mucus and then
doling it out at just tho right time and
place to make it most effective.
In tho light OF these facts. IT IS easy
| 10 understand how the removal of q
J healthy appendix might tend to produce
constipation 10y Gripping the lubricat'
ing system of the colon. or course this
is not true of a diseased appendix. 4
diseased appcndiN, like a diseased tonsil
has lost its usefulness and has become q
useless member Of the bodily household
and must he "Scrappcd,' and the sooner
the better.