Health function
Many of us are used to thinking that the appendix is a useless organ that attracts attention only when it becomes inflamed and needs to be removed. Now, the reputation of this “worthless bag” in the digestive system has been rehabilitated, all thanks to a team of immunologists.
American scientists have found that the appendix plays the role of a “safe haven” for bacteria involved in healthy digestion. In other words, it kind of restarts our digestive system after a person has contracted diseases such as amoebic dysentery or cholera, which kill beneficial bacteria.
This function has been lost in modern society. The population is now so dense that people pick up the necessary bacteria from each other, which allows intestinal organisms to regrow without the help of an appendix.
But before, when vast areas were sparsely populated and entire regions could be destroyed by a cholera epidemic, the appendix provided survivors with a vital supply of beneficial bacteria. The very location of the appendix, just below the one-way stream where food and microbes pass through the large intestine, confirms this theory.
Moreover, studies have shown that in developing countries, where appendix function is more relevant, the incidence of appendicitis is much lower.
The appendix is a vermiform process, 5-10 cm long, protruding from the beginning of the large intestine. Doctors remove it when infected and inflamed, as it can cause life-threatening peritonitis when ruptured.
Other “useless” organs in our body
Men's nipples
Men have nipples and breast tissue that can theoretically produce milk. Men can also develop breast cancer.
Wisdom teeth
Our ancestors had an additional row of molars that helped them chew vast amounts of plant foods.
Coccyx
The remnants of the tail were long ago lost before humans even started walking on their hind limbs 6 million years ago.
Additional ribs
Humans have 12 ribs, but about 8 percent of people have an extra pair, just like chimpanzees and gorillas.