Every year in the United States, over 300,000 people with appendicitis have their appendix surgically removed. While over 11 million cases are reported annually, deaths lie somewhere around 50,000. Still seems like a huge number and a bad way to go, right? The percentage of deaths was much higher before this fabulously-stached bald man in the middle, Charles McBurney, came up with what is called “McBurney’s Incision.” Rather than cutting through the abdominal walls, he made a diagonal incision that split the appendix to expose it.
In this 1900 pic, the surgeon is assisted by both staff and students. No surgical or scrub caps here. But at least most of them are wearing gloves! The interwebs says only 7-14% of us will ever have appendicitis. Personally, I don’t know anyone who has had it (or at least made mention of it). What about you? Do you have your appendix? Have you lost anything else? Some wisdom teeth? I got rid of my tonsils at age 22.
I Don't Get It 
I had appendicitis at four and survived. My grandfather died from it years earlier. Interesting pic! Thanks!
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Oh, no! I’m sorry he passed from it. Thank God you were okay.
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Yes, thank you!
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Intriguing post and picture. I had appendicitis about 1973. The pain started in the early afternoon and wouldn’t stop. I went to my doc and he said it was jntestinal distress from a stomach virus. I had to go to the emergency room at 9 PM. It wasn’t a virus. My appendix was removed as soon as they could get to it.
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Wow! I wonder if that’s how it is in most cases. They think it’s stomach issues and then you have to go to ER later. Good thing you got it taken care of.
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Several members of my family have lost their appendix to appendicitis. Not something I want to experience.
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No. Let’s keep our parts.
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Still got my appendix. Still got all my wisdom teeth. Missing a few other parts, though. I am sooo glad to live in an age of modern medicine.
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Yes! And sterilization and antibiotics (used judiciously, of course). You still have all your wisdom teeth??
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Yup. All 4.
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Musta been a big appendix, needing all those people to lift it out.
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While people were shorter a hundred years ago, appendices were twice as big.
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Yow. Now all we have to do is figure out what the damn things are for. 😀
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