# A list of organs you can live without **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179 "2013-08-14T02:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/1 "2013-08-14T02:04:25Z")
I’m trying to compile a complete list of human organs that you can live without. I am willing to accept some quality of life detriments, but they can’t be too severe. For example, you can’t effectively live without kidneys for very long, even though there are ways to keep you alive through direct medical intervention for a while until a transplant is available. So, if you would need routine medical intervention or assistance without it, it doesn’t count for my list. If it just causes life to be a bit tougher, weakens your immune system, or whatever else, it is fine for my purposes. I’m also not interested in things like limbs, hair, etc… unless it’s actually classified medically as an organ, don’t bother mentioning it please. Some organs I have thought of: Gall Bladder Spleen pretty much every reproductive organ Can you help add to my list? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/2 "2013-08-14T02:10:47Z")
Appendix Stomach ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/3 "2013-08-14T02:16:39Z")
colon ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/4 "2013-08-14T02:18:02Z")
One of your lungs, one of your kidneys (or both if you undergo dialysis). You can also remove the entire large intestine and most of the small intestine. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/5 "2013-08-14T02:21:39Z")
Eyes Thyroid ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/6 "2013-08-14T02:23:21Z")
Eyes Ears (considering the inner ear as the organ of hearing) Thyroid Urinary bladder ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/7 "2013-08-14T02:24:58Z")
Eyes - limit it to one of them if you don’t want to degrade the quality of life too much. Ears - ditto Nose Tonsils/adenoids/etc. Salivary glands (is that an organ? I think so, but I’m too lazy too look it up.) Thyroid Breasts Esophagus Intestines, large and/or small. (It’s not pleasant, but it’s possible to survive after removal of the total small intestine; you’ll need to be on TPN (food via IV) for the rest of your life.) Bladder Not sure if it counts, because you can’t live with the whole thing gone, but you can lose 1/2 your liver without much trouble. Since you nixed kidneys, I take it “one lung” is cheating? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/8 "2013-08-14T02:30:47Z")
You can live without a functioning pancreas, but it requires medical intervention to deal with the resulting diabetes and inability to properly digest food. My abdomen is my cite. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/9 "2013-08-14T02:31:25Z")
Remember folks, routine medical intervention means you ‘can’t live without’ it for my purposes. So if you can’t live without routine IV feeding or whatever after having all your intestines removed, that’s a no go. And sorry, to the pancreas. ☹ If you can’t live without injections or other medications, if you would literally die without them, then that doesn’t count for my list either. Thanks for the help so far! ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/10 "2013-08-14T02:34:59Z")
Any except Hammond B3’s or something with similar capabilities and sounds. Though Ray Manzarek did pretty well with his Vox Continental. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/11 "2013-08-14T02:35:55Z")
Spleen. My son had his removed as the result of a car accident. Without it, however, one becomes more susceptible to certain infections. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/12 "2013-08-14T02:35:58Z")
You can remove certain areas of your brain without sacrificing much. (Many people wouldn’t even miss it.) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/13 "2013-08-14T03:03:34Z")
Thinking of trying to patent a new weight-loss system? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/14 "2013-08-14T03:11:55Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > pretty much every reproductive organ Hey! Speak for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/15 "2013-08-14T03:32:17Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Remember folks, routine medical intervention means you ‘can’t live without’ it for my purposes. Hmmm…how are we defining “medical intervention”? Do catheters count? What if you self-cath? If a cath counts, does an ostomy bag? Daily medications forever? Injected or oral? What about fairly frequent antibiotics due to lowered immunity and frequent infections? Vitamin Supplements? You might have lost most of this thread, depending on how you answer. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/16 "2013-08-14T03:53:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Hmmm…how are we defining “medical intervention”? Do catheters count? What if you self-cath? If a cath counts, does an ostomy bag? Daily medications forever? Injected or oral? What about fairly frequent antibiotics due to lowered immunity and frequent infections? Vitamin Supplements? > > You might have lost most of this thread, depending on how you answer. All of those things count as not being able to live without, for my purposes. Even vitamin supplements. Medication is right out, as is cathing or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/17 "2013-08-14T03:57:54Z")
Then I think you’re down to: Eyes Ears Nose Tonsils/adenoids Gall bladder Appendix Parts of the brain Parts of the liver 1 lung 1 kidney A portion, but not the end of, the large intestine A portion of, but not all of, the small intestine ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/18 "2013-08-14T04:00:32Z")
Teeth. Thymus. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/19 "2013-08-14T04:06:08Z")
So you cannot live without a spleen without taking medications or supplements? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179/20 "2013-08-14T04:07:44Z")
Anyone heard of the story of the prison lifer who liked to donate an organ of his yearly? One retina, a kidney, skin for grafting, bone marrow, etc. The warden put a stop to it when he observed the lifer was slowly getting out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-organs-you-can-live-without/666179.md?page=2)