CAUSE OF APPENDICITIS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 1, 3 January 1905, Page 1

CAUSE OF APPENDICITIS.

hußrieQating. " FR.C.S.," writing in the." National Review " for November, says that the danger of an attack from appendicitis arises less from the swallowing of small fruit-stones than the practice of eating one s meals in a hurry. •' As regards the cherry-stone, he writes, " the sooner it is disposed of the bettef. When the reader realises that the entrance of the tube, which has a larger diamater than any. other part, will hardly adinit in th« normal state the top of tin tinc'tH gedaf pencil, it. will readily bfe, Seen tfial §ve» tt mo-derate-Efosed . . cherxy-^tohe would have fiafeipg m. That smaller., foreigfl bodles.may gain access to the interior, of the tube is undoubtedly true, but the number of instances in which such ha-ve actually been discovered within the diseased appendix is comPtotlvtfy *nail, A riiMo duckshot, a &ri*li. iraxtemt ot solder from a cdnned-meli tifi,,,.^, bristle from a tooth-brush, a spiC-ute from the lining of an enamelled 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 manner subsequently; described. While, then, admitting that In a few cases extraneous matters df the character and size mentioned may play soirie P&rt in the incidence of appendicitis, we must seek a more common caiise for the frequency of the affection. "The human body is constantly harbouring micro-organisms which are ever ready to attack tne tissues, and Ate especially capable of doing: SO wheiiever the person is below pitr, .Bx. th6. particular tissue wth wHlct they ar« in .contact Has sutfered S6me injury. These micrcMJrgitmsins, ;*tyled bacteria, ateNcons^tly taken m with food, stria mtfre 1 pfirticul^rly . ,m towns. Being thus perpetually reinforced, they are continually multi-plying,-and able to attack any unaiended; pojrit. There^^is, perhaps nothing r^hioh so tends to assist their multiplication and to increase 'their yirttlence as hurried and irreguW tttqiils, inyplving^ the retention of imperfectly digested food Tl&iJ.it i? that these microscopical organW i will, crowd into what ■may.fce called the baa,watef.of the " appendix, here £o stagnate and to develop a powerful poison which, acting upon the walls of the tube, soon produce inflamation, which is evidenced by pain and all the train of symptoms incident to appendi"Take a day in the lite, of the o.'dinary city man who, having risen somewhat later than usual, finds it necessary to hurry his breakfast, pefhapS- 6veti to i'utt part of the way to 'the station in di'der to catch ih*. train which will enable him to keep an important appointment, tie if? busy throughout the 'morning, and nfldg .that to get thi-oisKh his work and enable Him to leavi> his affice at a , respectable hour in the afternoon, .lunch must be a scramble, though He is unwilling to forejeo his usual full comnlement of diverse food. On reaching home he is too tired to enjoy any healthy, .exercise, and a third meal, i.e,, 'dinner, follows upon the two previous baaly-aiges.ted meals he has already taken, with the result that the inevitable evil consequences follow. He may keep up this unwholesome rush for a short while, but before lone he will feel the necessity for a holiday. Off he goes, and nerhaps. opens the ball with a touch round of prolf. or possibly a series 6i .htird sets at lawn tennis, or, may be, even a day!s sculling. Then he is suddenly attacked with appendicitis, and placed in considerable danger."