Words TOM RANSLEY
Leonid Rogozov, a young Russian doctor, describes the intense pain of an inflamed appendix. Often referred to as a vestigial organ, the appendix is arguably a useless throwback, a little worm-like bundle of pointless tissue that resides at the end of the gut. It is a freeloader in our evolved anatomy yet it still harbours the power to kill us. Fortunately, removing the appendix is a routine operation in modern medicine, but the path to the surgeon’s scalpel isn’t a pleasant one. Appendicitis hurts.
”I did not sleep at all last night. It hurts like the devil! A snow storm whipping through my soul, wailing like a hundred jackals… an oppressive feeling of foreboding hangs over me…”