The vermiform appendix of the human body is a finger-like continuation of the caecum, a part of the large intestine. It is almost 3 inches long and has a blind end. The appendix is usually found in the lower right section of the abdomen, but its position is variable and it may be found as high as the liver. Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. This condition is particularly common among the western races, possibly for dietetic reasons. Its rarity among the Chinese has been attributed to their being mainly vegetarians, but this has not been proved.
It may be contracted at any age and may be caused by infections or irritant substances, but it has never been definitely associated with any particular class of agent. The attacks are sudden with severe abdominal pain, particularly on the lower right side, associated with nausea, vomiting, and fever. Another feature is the contraction of the abdominal muscles, making them rigid. The surgical removal of the appendix is the only really effective treatment for appendicitis and should be carried out within 24 hours of the onset of the attack. In severe cases antibiotics are given in addition to removal of the appendix by surgery.
In cases of suspected appendicitis purgatives must never be given. A "grumbling appendix" indicates a mild chronic appendicitis which may clear itself up after a time.
Acute appendicitis was not recognized as such until the middle of the 19th century. The first operations to remove the appendix were by Rudolph Ulrich Kronlein in 1886 and by Thomas George Morton in Philadelphia in 1887.
