[Murphy's Law]

Abstract

Non-surgical treatment of acute phlegmonous appendicitis has been receiving increasing attention in recent years, representing a reversal of policy. The appendectomy came into vogue at the beginning of the 20th century. It is true that prompt surgical intervention in all patients with appendicitis or an indication thereof almost guarantees success, but it gradually came to be forgotten that this intervention was not always necessary. In this article we will document the historical development of this disease and its treatment, and return to the original reports made by pathologist Reginald Fitz and the internist William Osler to show that their opinion was not black and white. Many surgeons in the Netherlands were also initially more restrained. In the course of time recognition of the natural progression of the disease vanished, until new developments placed this more sharply in the limelight.