EVEN though appendicitis is an old subject, it is still very much alive. Death occurs more frequently from this disease than from some of the spectacular operations described at this meeting. Deaths from simple acute appendicitis have become so rare that evaluation of one's methods is best studied through an analysis of cases of perforated appendix.
The following data are based on the experience of my colleagues and me with perforated appendix in children at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital. The study is limited to a consideration of children 12 years of age and under.
From 1929 through 1946 there were a total of 226 patients with perforated appendix (table 1). Twenty-six of these died. This includes
all deaths, even those occurring within an hour or two after admission of the patient to the hospital.
The average age of the entire group was 6.4 years, whereas the average age of those