What’s the Deal with the Human Appendix? It’s More Than Just 'Extra'!

Talia asked: "Hello, I wanted to ask about body parts that seem unnecessary in the human body (often called 'vestigial organs')... There is another part of the body called the appendix that can become inflamed, and if so, requires immediate surgery. What's its purpose? I would love to understand why this seemingly extra part exists."

Hi Talia, and thanks again for your questions.

No doubt, the appendix gets a bad rap due to its frequent bouts of inflammation, necessitating urgent surgical removal. Who knows, maybe poor diet contributes to this in modern society.

At first glance, the appendix seems redundant: a small 8-10 cm piece of tissue projecting from the large intestine. Why is it called "appendix"? Because it translates to "addition." This tiny mysterious pouch swells during an infection, leading to tremendous pain and thus being categorized as an "extra" part of the human body... Yet, as in many cases, research advances to appreciate the meticulous design in all elements of creation.

Our digestive system contains positive bacteria crucial for digestion and intestinal health. During intestinal illnesses, many gut bacteria are expelled, losing both positive bacteria and pathogens. It turns out the appendix acts like a secret emergency reserve, preserving these beneficial bacteria, helping to repopulate the intestines after an illness. It's another component of the immune system, akin to the tonsils, susceptible to infection due to its risky frontline role (much like a tank leading the charge).

Three sources:

1. "The mucosa and submucosa of the appendix are dominated by lymphoid nodules, and its primary function is as an organ of the lymphatic system", "Today, the appendix is recognized as a highly specialized organ with a rich blood supply"

Frederic H. Martini, Ph.D., Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, p. 916, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1995.

2. Bollinger, R. Randal, Barbas, Andrew S., Bush, Errol L., Lin, Shu S., and Parker, William. "Biofilms in the Large Bowel Suggest an Apparent Function of the Human Vermiform Appendix." Journal of Theoretical Biology, 249(4):826-31, December 21, 2007.

3. Merritt, Richard, media rep. "Appendix Isn't Useless at All: It's a Safe House for Bacteria

Moreover, it might have another purpose. The organ contains many lymphoid follicles which may regulate which bacteria enter the colon, a crucial role in children's immune systems.

Source:

“it is likely that the appendix plays its major role in early childhood. It is also probably involved in helping the body recognize early in life that certain foodstuffs, bacterially derived substances, and even some of the body’s own gut enzymes, need to be tolerated and not seen as ‘foreign’ substances needing attack]”

"Dr Carl Wieland M.B., B.S. Article: "Your appendix… it’s there for a reason

There are researchers who now theorize that removing the appendix might increase the risk of Crohn's disease:

Mercola, Joseph, DO. "Helpful Bacteria May Be Hiding In Your Appendix

Mercola, Joseph, DO. "Appendectomy May Increase Risk of Crohn's Disease

Conversely, some researchers claim the appendix has only become unnecessary in the last century, as developed countries don’t face under-nutrition issues (and thus the renewal of good bacteria) and infections as before. Even if they’re right, the appendix isn’t useless in the third world and hasn’t been to humanity for thousands of years. Yet, truthfully, its functions are still being researched.

In herbivorous animals, the appendix is larger, aiding in cellulose digestion from eating grass and plants (thus how cows can gain weight from grass). Humans can't digest cellulose, giving grass a negative caloric value for us. But has it always been so?

The Torah tells us the first human diet was only plant-based: "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food and for all the animals... every green plant'" (Genesis 1:29). In early generations, people lived for hundreds of years, but as known, natural conditions changed. Since Noah’s time, eating meat was permitted (Sanhedrin 59b).

Who knows, maybe the human appendix was larger initially, with a major role in cellulose digestion. Today it's small, but not redundant, as it’s part of the immune system. In other words, one organ can have multiple functions, losing one due to human evolution.

Interestingly, scientists often look for purpose first in organ anatomy and cell biology, labeling it "chance" only when none is found. But why is there an intuitive search for design in creation? Why, when encountering a new natural law or organ, does a scientist seek to understand its utility to the universe, material structure, or life?

It seems scientists investigate with an inherent belief in a Creator who designed creation with a logical purpose they must uncover, as the verse states: "Creator of the heavens is God, who formed the earth and made it; he established it; he did not create it to be empty—he formed it to be inhabited" (Isaiah 45:18). The verse implies that every detail isn't random but has purpose.

Scientists' attempts to discover logical equations in physics and chemistry are similar to their efforts to find logic in biology. In every scientific field, the objective is to find useful logic. If they truly believed the world was accidental, there'd be no reason to seek purpose in the universe's structure, and every event or organ should just be attributed to purposeless chance, not the reverse. Just something to ponder.

I once read an evolutionary biologist’s long chapter on why zebras have stripes. He proposed various intelligent theories: perhaps stripes provide protection from lions or serve social purposes in the herd. It intrigued me how passionately the doctor questioned, like a researcher desperate to understand the reason behind this detail ("Why did evolution do this? What was its purpose?") until I felt like swapping the term evolution in his work with the name Hashem...