And just when we thought we knew it all, scientists have just discovered that the human digestive system contains another organ that we supposedly never knew about. It’s called the mesentery, and it was originally thought to have been made up of several different structures, but new studies have confirmed that it is, in fact, one large organ. The next step now is to understand how it works within the body. This discovery may prove extremely useful when trying to devise treatments for abdominal and digestive diseases.
The mesentery is, in fact, one long continuous organ that adjoins the abdomen to the small intestine, spleen, pancreas, stomach and other organs. Up until now, experts had always believed the mesentery to be fragmented, so has often been overlooked in the medical field. However, the discovery is certain to boost research of the organ significantly over the next twelve months which could benefit us all in one way or another.
Professor J Calvin Coffey first discovered the organ, and he said, “The anatomic description that had been laid down over 100 years of anatomy was incorrect. This organ is far from fragmented and complex. It is simply one continuous structure.” Since the anatomical discovery, one of the most widely-used series of medical textbooks ever, Gray’s Anatomy, has been updated to include this new information.
“This is relevant universally as it affects all of us. Up to now, there was no such field as mesenteric science. Now we have established anatomy and the structure. The next step is the function, explains Coffey. “If you understand the function, you can identify abnormal function, and then you have the disease. Put them all together, and you have the field of mesenteric science…the basis for a whole new area of science”, Coffey continues. Researchers are hoping the discovery will allow a deeper understanding of an abdominal disease and devise more targeted treatments.
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