The appendix is a part of the intestine in the human beings. Its full name is the vermiform appendix. The word vermiform means worm-shaped. The appendix is found on the lower right side of the abdomen. It is found at a place where our small intestine joins the large intestine. This is called caecum. It is in the form of a tube whose one end is closed and the other opens into the caecum.
In human beings the appendix is usually three to four inches or eight to ten cm. long and less than half an inch wide. It was probably a necessary part of the digestive system thousands of years ago and perhaps helped in cellulose digestion. The organ is believed to be gradually disappearing in human beings and is often referred to as a vestigial organ — those organs or parts now disappearing for being in disuse but ancestrally well developed.
The appendix has muscular valves, ordinarily capable of expelling the mucus secretions of the appendiceal valves into the caecum. If anything blocks the opening, the continued secretion and the bacteria within the organ build up pressure. It may also be invaded by germs. This causes the whole area to become sore and swollen. The painful inflammation of the appendix is medically termed as appendicitis. A person experiencing an attack of appendicitis may feel abdominal pain in the right lower region of the abdomen. He may feel nausea or have diarrhoea. There can also be slight fever unless the appendix bursts. Recurrent mild attacks of appendicities in children are often diagnosed as ‘bilious attack or disorder of biles’. The only safe plan is to watch such cases very carefully and immediate attention should be given for proper treatments.
In acute cases, surgical operation is needed. It is operated on after giving general anaesthesia. The appendicitis is caused usually when bits of undigested food stick in the opening to the appendix and block it. This gives bacteria a warm, closed place where they can grow and multiply and produce a painful swelling.