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Show HISTORY OF APPENDICITIS. The-, entire literature of appendicitis down to the year 1S99 numbers no less than 2,500 articles, books, etc., and in a recent number of the Medical Becord , Dr. George M. Edebohls, A. M., M. D., I has a most interesting- review on the ! "History and Literature of Appendicitis." Appendici-tis." He says its early history cannot be traced, o-wing- to the fact that it was confused with other diseases. Probably ' the first reference to it da-tes from 1642. I As late as ISort the knowledge of the existence of appendicitis was by no j means general. In 18-56 cases began to 1 be reported. The inauguration of mod- j ern surgical treatment of appendicular abficessi'es did not come until 1S67, and ! the first recorded operation on the ap- . pendix was planned and executed' on j Aug. 21, 1S83. The early operations i commonly ended in failure. The first ?iuccesful removal of the appendix was performed on May 8, 1S86. Since that time the number of successful operations opera-tions has greatly increased until, while now it regarded us serious, it is by no means a fatal operation. There is much popular misconception as to the origin of appendicitis, and Dr. Ede-I Ede-I bonis gives interesting accounts of some things which have been found in the vermiform appendix, from which it will be seen that the grape seed is by no mear.is the commonest form of j injury. Corproliths have been found by I everybody who has had much to do with poot mortem investigations, or with operations on the appendix. Next to them pins have been the foreign bodies most frequently met with. Other t'h'ings found are grape seeds, melon seeds-, a chocolate nut, a grain of oat, cherry atones, raspberry s-eeds, pruno t?eede, orange seeds, date seeds, tomato seeds, fruit stones, huckleberry seeds, blackberry seeds, hazelnut shell, a piece of chestnut, peanuts, hair, bristle, bris-tle, a glazier's point of zinc, a globule of solder, a gelatine capsule, a piece of bone, a piece of screw nail, a rifle car-tridgev car-tridgev and the fin of a fish. This paper pa-per -also shows that 4 per cent of all women have appendicitis, and they are a vcrv little more liable to the disease than men. |
