Facts about Appendicitis

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 20, 14 May 1903, Page 6

Facts about Appendicitis

Appendicitis is no new disease. An examination of an Egyptian mummy over 2000 years old (says a writer in an American exchange) showed that death must have been caused by that illness. But although the disease occurred thus early, it was probably never frequent until the latest decades. Three of the London hospital reVSon Sive the number of appendicitis cases treated in 1890 as 38, while in 1900 nearly 400 operations were performed. It is comforting to note that all but 10 of the patients recovered. Sir Frederick Treves, the most noted authority on the subject, has performed successiuily more than 100 consecutive operations. It is said that appendicitis may be caused by imagination, b|rt modern ioods are probably responsible for most cases according to Dr 11. C. Howard, of Campaign, 111. Until the trade demanded an exceedingly white flour the disease was rare Where coarse breads were used tho disease was unknown, as in rural communities, where people secured their Hour from small, old-fashioned mills lnc malady did not increase until the smaller mills were crowrled out by the larger ones and the farmers had to buy the line flour. Southern negroes, as long as they ate corn bread, were exempt. Germans had appendicitis little or not at all until they began to eat the new process flour Dr Howard says that, prior to 1875 in 25 years practice among tho people of his section he did not meet with more than 40 cases. Now they are common. Very small children are sufferers. A boy had 13 well defined attacks, but came through all without an operation After changing his food to corn bread and coarse breads in general, fruit, vegetables, and very little meat he had no further trouble

The general belief, sa\ s another authority, that it is a new disease, manufactured by modern surgeons, is incorrect. Only recently during some excavations in Lgvpt a mummy was brought to light upon which tho doctors made further excavations ; and at this strange po.st mortem it was disco\ered that the cause of death, at least 2000 years ago, must have been appendicitis To come down to more modern times, though to a date sufficiently long ago for the matter to be regarded as an old one, it may be mentioned that Addison published a book on appendicitis in 18.36. In those days the complaint, with all its variations, was comparatively a rare one, and usually was referred to as typhlitis or perityphhtis. And by those names it was commonly known till about three years ago, when its rapidly-increasing prevalence necessitated its closer study. Up to about 1898, indeed, the reports of the various hospitals contain no mention of the word appendicitis, speaking only of nentyphlitis. Why during the last few years the complaint has increased by leaps and bounds" not even the greatest authorities can explain. The majority of them however, agree that the old theory that appendicitis could be set up by swallowing a cherrystone is untenable for tho simple reason that the appendix— that unaccount-ed-for little cul-de-^ac in one's interior organisation — is not large enough to admit of such an intrusion. It may be caused by some hard matter lodging in the intestines, by a blow, or even by imagination ' At least one authority, speaking of the matter recently, declared that many of those who are operated on were not really suffering from the complaint at all, but that they worried themselves into the belief that they were, and would not be satisfied until they had their appendix removed.