WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Oct. 12, 2007 -- The lowly
appendix may have a purpose after all. New research suggests
that the seemingly useless organ provides a safe haven for good
bacteria to hang out in the gut. Although the study stops short
of providing direct proof of this proposed purpose for the
appendix, researchers say there's a strong case to be made for
the appendix based on new information about the role of bacteria
in intestinal "While there is no smoking gun, the abundance of
circumstantial evidence makes a strong case for the role of the
appendix as a place where the good bacteria can live safe and
undisturbed until they are needed," researcher William Parker,
PhD, assistant professor of experimental surgery at Duke
University Medical Center, says in a news release. The appendix
is a small, 2- to 4-inch pouch located near where the large and
small intestines meet. Doctors have debated the exact function
of the organ for years, as removal causes no noticeable
symptoms. Not much is known a