For a long time, biologists and anatomists considered many organs in the human body to be a legacy inherited from evolutionary ancestors, necessary and important for them, but useless for humans.
They, according to evolutionists, are laid down during embryonic development, but later they stop developing and remain underdeveloped in an adult, formed person. They are called rudimentary organs or rudiments (from the Latin rudimentum - the rudiment, the first principle).
By the beginning of the 20th century, almost two hundred organs were attributed to rudiments in the human body: ear muscles, earlobes, wisdom teeth, appendix, many glands, coccyx, tonsils, hair and others. With the development of science and with the growth of knowledge about the functioning of the body, the list of rudiments has steadily decreased; by today, most scientists do not call any organ rudimentary. However, this concept is still present in the pages of biology textbooks. Moreover, the long-disproved idea of the presence of rudiments in the body still serves as evidence of evolution.
“No one doubts the microevolution of species, which occurs either through targeted selective breeding or due to environmental changes. But to this day, cows are still cows, birch moths are birch moths, and the notorious finches are finches. The conclusion about macroevolution, made contrary to logic, has not been confirmed. „
W. Wright, M. D., Research Fellow, Professor of Rheumatology, University of Leeds, UK
Proponents of macroevolution believe that in the process of evolution, some animal organs have lost their functions either partially or completely. Such “residual rudimentary organs” of plants, animals, humans are considered to be structures that had certain functions in the past, but at this time the body does not need them, and in the process of evolutionary changes they became non-functional.
Some proponents of macroevolution believe that such changes were caused by natural selection of gene mutations (neo-Darwinism), while others believe that fundamental changes occurred quickly, at different intervals throughout geological history (the concept of point equilibrium).
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Residual rudiments are sometimes compared to computers of older generations, which are being replaced by new technology that works many times faster and more efficiently. But an organism is not a machine; you cannot replace an "obsolete organ" in the same way as a part is replaced. And outdated structures, that is, rudiments, remain only a kind of reminder of their former functions.
Until recently, residual rudiments were considered strong evidence of macroevolution. For nearly a century, the existence of rudiments has been considered an irrefutable argument for evolution. By the beginning of this century, the list of rudimentary organs consisted of approximately 180 items. True, in our time it is already completely known that most of them perform at least one function that is important for the life of the organism. It is possible that after a thorough study of those organs that are still classified as rudimentary, it will turn out that they are also important for life.
Tonsils, adenoids, coccyx, nictitating membrane of birds, pineal and thymus glands - these organs have always been cited as typical residual rudiments. Scientists have found that most of the so-called "rudiments" perform not even one, but several important functions. Some of them come into operation only at certain moments of the life of the organism, for example, in critical situations, some work only at certain stages of the development of the organism. But information about this practically does not appear in reference books and textbooks on biology and in books on the origin of life. For example, back in the twenties, they wrote about the important functions of the so-called blinking membrane, and yet some authors of scientific works classify it as a rudiment. Biologists continue to work to determine the meaning of "rudiments" in the activity of organisms.
The question of residual rudiments as evidence of evolution is not just an abstract reasoning, it has real tangible consequences. Belief in evolution and vestigial organs, as evidence of it, has hampered many scientific endeavors. Worse, the practice of removing many of the so-called vestiges is also based on this belief.
The appendix was considered not just a useless organ, but a potential source of infection. And if so, it was removed without much thought. Most scientists are now convinced that the appendix plays an important role in the functioning of the human immune system.
This is not the only example of an unsuccessful intervention in the work of the organism under the influence of the theory of the existence of evolutionary "remnants", that is, rudiments. Adenoids and tonsils were removed at the earliest opportunity. Both those and others later turned out to be a significant link in the chain of the human immune system, and their work is especially important in childhood.
The myths of Darwinism penetrated deeply and for a long time into various branches of science. The most terrible thing was their influence on doctors. At different times in different countries, surgeons did not hesitate to remove "extra" organs. Even for no reason, for preventive purposes and in droves. In the 70s, a whole generation of circumcised people grew up in the United States: boys in the hospital had their appendix and foreskin removed. Glands and adenomas were massively removed. The consequences of such "preventive" measures are sad: not only did they not relieve patients of complaints, they significantly raised the percentage of cancers and problems in the immune system.
It all began in France, where Dr. Franz Glenard (1848-1920) once decided that our digestive organs, formed at a time when, allegedly, a person walked on four legs, "lie badly" in our body. Therefore, when the doctor's patients complained of poor digestion, the doctor, who until that time had only theorized, decided to surgically lay the organs correctly and solve all the patients' problems with a scalpel and his ideas.
After the operation, the patients' problems worsened, but the vigorous surgeon managed to infect many of his colleagues with "correcting the defects of nature". In the twentieth century, surgeons were running around with the idea that we are getting old, weakened and sick because some dangerous bacteria rotting in our cecum, literally poisoning our lives. Even the Nobelian Mechnikov believed that our civilized life and the organism inherited from our ancestors are poorly compatible things. The Englishman William Lane, inspired by the authority of Mechnikov, decided to wave the scalpel again - and help a person live in a civilized manner and at the level of the body.
At first, Lane connected the cecum with the large intestine so that putrefactive bacteria, how to put it mildly, were quickly and orderly sent to the exit. Then, for some reason, Lane decided that if you remove the large intestine, you can cure not only a duodenal ulcer, but also schizophrenia (??? - I. A.) Lane performed more than a thousand such operations (poor patients!), And neither he nor were his followers stopped by the hecatombs of the dead after such experiments.
Only in the thirties did scientists begin to criticize Lane, his teacher Mechnikov and other doctors who, without scalpels, worked as nature's substitutes for correcting the human body. But until, sorry, literally all the followers of this school have not died, critical articles and a growing cemetery of victims did not stop applied surgery.
According to Professor David Menton, if scientists of that time could not determine the function of an organ in the body, it was considered a "rudiment". "Therefore, it is not surprising," says Professor Menton, "that with the growth of scientific knowledge and research, the list of such organs has become smaller and smaller." Currently, according to many scientists, it is time to completely abolish this list.
The role of "vestigial organs" has been addressed by Professor Jerry Bergman and Dr. George Howe. “Scientists have found that most of the so-called“rudiments”perform not even one, but several important functions. Some of them come into operation only at certain moments in the life of the organism, for example, in critical situations, some work only at certain stages of the development of the organism, "they write.
For example, the lunate fold in the corner of the human eye, which was considered the remnants of the blinking eyelid, as in birds or reptiles, is actually served in humans and birds with reptiles by different nerves, therefore, this is not a rudimentary organ, and therefore, it carries a different a function unrelated to the remains of the third century. The fact that the lunate fold is not a rudimentary organ began to be suspected back in the 20s of the twentieth century, but it never made it into biology textbooks.
But the lunate fold was not particularly interested in surgeons, in this regard, the coccyx was the most popular organ. How many times have they written about the fact that this is a residual tail, they even drew pictures about what they say looked like a humanoid ape with a tail, and so - it looked like becoming a man without a tail. And how many unfortunate coccyxes were excised on this occasion - tons!
However, research has shown that the coccyx serves as an important attachment site for certain pelvic muscles: three to five small coccygeal bones are no doubt part of a larger support system made up of bones, ligaments, cartilage, muscles and tendons. If the coccyx and the associated muscular system did not exist, people would need a fundamentally different system of support for internal organs. And those who had their tailbone removed got so many problems that doctors of our time no longer stutter that the tailbone is a rudimentary tail.
The same is with the appendix, which, as it turned out, plays a very important role in the human immune system. It is widely known that the appendix is made up of lymphatic tissue, which is why it helps the human body fight infections, especially in the first years of life. The researchers note that placing the appendix near the junction of the small intestine and colon protects the small intestine from bacteria that inhabit the cecum. And, finally, it is completely impossible to trace the evolutionary line in which this organ would gradually lose its significance: the appendix is found in both carnivores and omnivores.
No rudiments and tonsils with adenoids. Only over time did it become clear that the tonsils are necessary for the growing body in order to help trigger a defense mechanism that produces antibodies that cleanse the body of infection. When this mechanism is already running, the tonsils shrink to almost complete disappearance, as is the case in adults. Then other organs take over their functions. Investigate Williams expresses the general opinion of doctors that tonsil removal is only justified if the tonsils themselves become a permanent source of infection instead of protecting the body.
A formidable 19th century tool for removing tonsils
Even the muscles that allow some people to move their ears are no longer considered rudimentary. They help a more saturated circulation and help prevent frostbite of the outer ear.
In 2012, news emerged that scientists from the United States had found the benefit of belly fat, previously considered an atavism like the appendix: this fat layer helps regulate the immune system.
“We now have evidence that omentum is more than just belly fat,” says Makio Iwashima, PhD, co-author of the study, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, quoted in university press release.
The omentum is the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most of its organs. It is a storage facility for adipose tissue. The research team, led by Dr. Iwashima and world renowned transplant surgeon Robert Love, studied the effect of the interaction of omentum cells and T lymphocytes in mice. Lymphocytes are the immune system's first barrier to infection, detecting, attacking and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other infectious agents.
In addition to being able to influence the immune system, the omentum also plays a critical role in the regeneration of damaged tissue, Iwashima says. It contains mesenchymal stem cells that rush to the site of injury and aid in tissue repair. These cells have the ability to transform into different types of special cells.
But, paradoxically, the history of rudiments is still not over. Now, for example, many dentists consider the so-called wisdom teeth superfluous, the only indicated method of their treatment is the removal.