Our bodies contain many organs, some of which are essential for living and some we can live without. Through the constant study of our bodies, we have come to understand the functions of organs and how they work. Losing an organ can cause many inconveniences. The brain, heart, lungs, liver and at least one kidney are necessary for living. Losing full function of any of these vital organs can be fatal. In contrast to this, there is an organ that most people are better off without – the appendix.
The appendix is a narrow pouch that lies in our lower right abdomen near the intestines. We have all either heard stories of people going to the hospital with a case of appendicitis or have experienced it ourselves. Appendicitis is quite common amongst teens and young adults. It occurs when your appendix becomes infected or inflamed. No one knows what triggers the inflammation yet. The standard procedure is to remove the appendix by performing an appendectomy. This is because if the infected appendix ruptures, it can cause serious complications and may be fatal. There is no known consequence of removing the appendix. This begs the question – why do we have the appendix? It has no obvious function such as secretion or storage. Although it is located in the gut, it does not directly help with digestion.
For a long time, scientists believed it to be a vestigial organ. A vestigial organ is one that used to be present and useful in our ancestors but due to evolution, it has been reduced greatly from its original form and serves no purpose now. Charles Darwin theorized that the appendix is a shrivelled up part of the cecum that helped our ancestors eat leaves like herbivores do. A more recent theory is that the appendix acts as a safe house and stores good bacteria which play an important role in digestion and immunity.
No matter the function or lack thereof, the appendix is still very much present in our body and we should be aware of it. If you feel any symptoms of appendicitis, be sure to check on it. Be sure to stay healthy and happy!
A representation of the appendix
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