APPENDICITIS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10659, 12 May 1906, Page 2

APPENDICITIS.

Per Press Association,

WELLINGTON, last night. Discussing appendicitis with a Post reporter, a medical expert declared that during the last year there were fifty operations for appendicitis at the Wellington Public Hospital, with two deaths, and these occurred because the malady had been left too long before the patients were brought to the institution. They Avere not the result of the operations. So fur this year tho operations had gone at about the same rate. The great majority of the cases treated last year had been previously attacked, and the patients Mere fairly *iound, but about a third of them had been m the acute stage. While patients Avere m this condition operations were not performed, except Avhen they were absolutely required to endeavor to save life. If an operation Avas performed after an attack had passed off there was practically no danger, but there Avas veiy often a considerable amount of dan., ger if the operation had to be done while the attack was on. There Avas nothing abnormal m the present number of cases. There was no doubt- that ten or fifteen years ago, before appendicitis was recognised, larger numbers of people died from peritonitis than now. The great danger of appendicitis was. m tho setting up of general peritonitis, and therefore came the advisablencss of timely remedial measures. ' .

Another expert said that an operation for appendicitis, if done before inflammation had thoroughly set m, was a simple oho, but the danger of allowing the evil to run to pus was' very, very great. Certainly if an operation wa s avoided, and the abscess burst inside, the person avus bound to die. There was no case on record Avhere a recovery had been made from that condition.