Blog 1. The Human Vermiform Appendix.

As medical technology has advanced so has our understanding of the human or vermiform appendix. The technical description of the organ is still vestigial, or without a purpose. However, many people are deciding to leave in the appendix if it is not a life threatening issue. It has recently been used as extra tissue to replace parts of the bladder in bladder reconstruction surgery. This alone makes the vermiform appendix anything but vestigial.

In 2007, a study from research scientists at Duke Medical University was published revealing the formation of biofilms in the large bowel. Now what does this mean to those not as fluent in medical terminology? It simply states that the presence of biofilms, or clusters of microorganisms, in the large bowel suggest that the appendix is used by the body to store good bacteria. In certain cases when antibiotics or an infection wipe out the good with the bad bacteria, Duke researchers are fairly certain that the appendix plays a role in restoring your body with good bacteria. This report has since appeared in many college and medical journals such as the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science and even published in the U.S National Library of Medicine.

These findings are unavoidable and obviously just the start in the area of appendix research. While you may not be a complete believer I hope that you are at least motivated to question your Doctor if or when he or she suggests an unnecessary removal of the appendix. Although the findings are not completely certain, I would be willing to bet a large portion of my appendix that within the next few years a new edition of our biology books, that will actually be necessary, will state the appendix as a non-vestigial human organ.

Sources:

Wanjek, Christopher. "The Appendix: Slimy But Not Worthless." Live Science (2006). Web. 9 Sept. 2010. .

Bollinger, Randal R., Andrew S. Barbas, Errol L. Bush, Shu S. Lin, and William Parker. "Biofilms in the Large Bowel Suggest an Apparent Function of the Human." Journal of Theoretical Biology 249 (2007): 826-31. Www.Duke.edu. 7 Sept. 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. .