Ask A Scientist© Zoology Archive

name         Nancy
status       student
age          15

Question -   What is the function of the appendix in a human before it
is taken out through surgey?

Hi Nancy...
as you must know the appendix  is a tube of which
one end is closed and the opens into the cecum,
that is the beginning of the large intestine.
The appendix occurs in men and in othe animals:
higher apes, wombats, some rodents and a few
lower mammals.
And now for your question: the appendix
has no known physiological function but probably
represents a degenerated portion of the cecum
that, in ancestral forms, aided in cellulose
digestion. It is believed that the appendix will
gradually disappear in human beings as our
diet do not includes cellulose no more.
In the other animals, the appendix is much larger
and provides a pouch off the main intestinal
tract, in which cellulose can be trapped and
be subjected to prolonged digestion.
And thanks for asking NEWTON!
Mabel
(Dr.Mabel Rodrigues)
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The appendix contains lymphoid tissue and may produce antibodies; 
however, there is no definitive function per sa.  We can obviously live
without it.
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Up-date:  2002027

http://146.139.100.40/webpages/askasci/mole00/mole00225.htm

and

http://www.sciam.com/askexpert/medicine/medicine8.html

Steve Sample
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