Back Appendiks Afrikaans زائدة دودية Arabic পৰিশেষিকা (শৰীৰস্থান) Assamese Апендикс Bulgarian অ্যাপেন্ডিক্স Bengali/Bangla Crvuljak BS Apèndix vermiforme Catalan Apendix Czech Coluddyn crog Welsh Wurmfortsatz German
| Appendix | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=simple&file=File:Grant_1962_172a.png) Drawing of colon with variability of appendix as seen from front | |
&sq=Google&lang=simple&file=File:Gray536.png) Arteries of cecum and appendix (appendix labeled as vermiform process at lower right) | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Midgut |
| System | Digestive system |
| Artery | Appendicular artery |
| Vein | Appendicular vein |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | Appendix vermiformis |
| MeSH | D001065 |
| TA | A05.7.02.007 |
| FMA | 14542 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
In human anatomy, the appendix (or vermiform appendix; also cecal [or caecal] appendix; vermix; or vermiform process) is a blind ended tube connected to the cecum (or caecum).
The caecum is a pouch-like part of the colon. The appendix is near the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine. The term "vermiform" comes from Latin and means "worm-like in appearance". Its length is approximately 4 to 6 centimetres.
The appendix has no apparent function in the human body, but it can get inflamed and cause diseases (like appendicitis). In humans, it is a vestigial organ. It is assumed the appendix may act as a storage for beneficial ("good") gut bacteria which aid us on digesting difficult food and fighting germs.
Darwin suggested that the appendix was perhaps used to digest leaves as primates.[1] Over time, humans have eaten fewer vegetables and have evolved. Over thousands of years, this organ has become smaller to make room for the stomach. It is a vestigial organ which has degraded to nearly nothing in the course of evolution.
Herbivorous mammals such as the Koala have large appendices, and usually other adaptations as well. Cellulose, from plant cell walls, is hard to break down. The cecum of the koala is attached to the juncture of the small and large intestines as it is in humans, but is very long. This enables it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown.
Early man’s ancestor may have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage. As man began to eat foods easier to digest, they became less reliant on cellulose-rich plants for energy.[1][2]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Darwin, Charles 1871. The Descent of Man, and selection in relation to sex. John Murray: London.
- ↑ "The old curiosity shop". New Scientist. 2008-05-17.