# use of the appendix

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-appendix/184508>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 26, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-appendix/184508 "2003-06-26T13:57:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gerikel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-appendix/184508/1 "2003-06-26T13:57:19Z")

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does anyone know what the appendix was used for. i heard to allow cavemen to eat raw meat. why then can’t we eat raw meat without becoming violently ill. and how did it come to be a useless organ?

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-appendix/184508/2 "2003-06-26T17:56:30Z")

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I’ve never heard the raw meat theory. In recent years, the appendix has been shown to have a minor role in the immune system, but you can easily do without it.

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**Author:** ![Goodbeem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/958977/32.png) [@Goodbeem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goodbeem)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-appendix/184508/3 "2003-06-26T18:50:31Z")

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I was familiar with the raw meat theory, too. I’ve been told the appendix is much larger in other mammals. Rodents use it for the digestion of plant food and carnivores use it for the digestion of raw meat (all the meat they eat, probably).

In [humans](http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=000CAE56-7201-1C71-9EB7809EC588F2D7) it seems to be part of the immume system, as **Smeghead** said.