Our appendicitis/appendix/vermiform appendage apparently has no function anymore. For many people, however, it does mean surgery if the thing is clogged.
Why is that there? Did it have a function in the past?
Answer
To clarify the concepts:
the appendix is the appendix: as the name says, it is blind-ended and +/- 10 cm long. There are still some lymph cells (immune cells) in it.
appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix.
Indeed, the function of the appendix is not known. The fact that so many people live without problems after its removal indicates that, if there is a function, it is unimportant.
The lymph cells in the appendix could indicate a protective effect. After all, the contents of the small intestine are sterile, but those of the large intestine are not. The appendix is at the transition. The last loops of the small intestine also contain many lymph cells in the wall, which also have a protective effect.
Answered by
dr. Mistiaen Wilhelm
Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
http://www.uantwerpen.be
.