In April 1961, the Sixth Soviet Antarctic Expedition took a harrowing turn.
1961年4月，苏联第六次南极考察突然变得让人很不安。
Doctor Leonid Rogozov, the team's only physician, began feeling weak and feverish, with an excruciating pain in his right side.
列昂尼德·罗戈佐夫医生，考察队唯一的医生开始感觉虚弱和发烧，身体右侧剧痛。
After a few days, it became clear that he had appendicitis, an infection that can cause the appendix to burst.
几天后，情况变得很清楚，他得了阑尾炎，一种可能导致阑尾破裂的感染。
And Rogozov knew that if his appendix did rupture, it would likely kill him.
罗戈佐夫知道，如果他的阑尾破裂，可能会让他丧命。
Outside a blizzard raged, making it dangerous for him to leave the station, or to have anyone else travel in.
外面暴风雪肆虐，这使得他离开南极站或其他人进入南极站都很危险。
So Rogozov faced a gut-wrenching choice: wait for help that may never come, or cut open his own abdomen and remove the appendix himself.
因此，罗戈佐夫面临一个痛苦的抉择：等待可能永远不会到来的帮助，或者切开自己的腹部，自己切除阑尾。
While Rogozov's predicament may have been extreme, appendicitis is not uncommon.
虽然罗戈佐夫的困境可能异乎寻常，但阑尾炎并不少见。
It affects roughly 1 in 12 people.
大约每12个人中就有1人得阑尾炎。
So, what causes appendicitis?
那么，阑尾炎是怎么引起的呢？
And why is this organ so prone to bursting?
为什么这个器官那么容易破裂？
The appendix is a small, worm-shaped pouch attached to the large intestine that houses a diversity of gut microbes.
阑尾是一个附于大肠的蠕虫形小袋，储存了多种肠道微生物。
Scientists long speculated that it was a useless artifact of evolution.
长期以来，科学家们推测它是进化的产物，是无用的。
Recent evidence shows that this organ independently evolved in many different mammals.
最近的证据显示，该器官在许多不同的哺乳动物中独立进化。
This suggests that it probably has some function, though it's likely subtle.
这表明它可能具有某些功能，不过可能难以察觉。
One possibility is that the appendix serves as a reservoir for healthy gut bacteria, or it may play a role in mounting immune responses.
一种可能性是阑尾充当着健康肠道细菌的储存库，也可能在增强免疫反应方面发挥着作用。
What we do know is this puzzling organ can cause serious complications.
我们知道的是，这个令人费解的器官可以引起严重的并发症。
Most cases of appendicitis start with some sort of obstruction.
大多数阑尾炎病例始于某种梗阻。
For example, a small, dried piece of stool, called an appendicolith, can lodge itself in the organ's entrance.
例如，一块干燥的小粪便，称为阑尾粪石，可能会卡在在阑尾的入口处。
Other times, pathogens like viruses or parasites activate the immune system, causing inflammation.
其他时候，病毒或寄生虫等病原体激活免疫系统，引起炎症。
This immune response may even be triggered by one of hundreds of species of bacteria that normally reside in your gut.
这种免疫反应甚至可能由通常存在于肠道中的数百种细菌中的一种触发。
As a result, nearby lymph nodes swell, effectively closing off the appendix's opening.
结果是附近的淋巴结肿大，其实就是封住了阑尾的开口。
Because the appendix is a closed loop, when it's sealed, pressure builds quickly.
由于阑尾是一个闭环，当它被封住时，压力会迅速增加。
This creates the perfect environment for bacteria to colonize and overgrow.
这给细菌定殖和过度生长创造了理想的环境。
As the inflamed appendix bloats, discomfort sets in.
随着发炎的阑尾肿胀，不适感开始出现。
And this pain is different from your everyday stomach ache.
这种疼痛与平常的胃疼不同。
It typically starts near the belly button and then migrates to the lower right abdomen and intensifies.
它通常从肚脐附近开始，然后移转到右下腹并加剧。
If left untreated, the appendix can continue to stretch, hindering blood flow and weakening the organ walls.
如果不治疗，阑尾会继续胀大，阻碍血液流动并削弱器官壁。
Eventually, this can cause the appendix to rupture, allowing the infection to spread within the abdomen, where it can pose fatal consequences.
最终，这可能导致阑尾破裂，使感染在腹部扩散，造成致命的后果。
Thankfully, not all cases of appendicitis will lead to a rupture, but it's impossible to know exactly when or if the appendix will burst from symptoms alone.
幸好，并非所有阑尾炎病例都会导致破裂，但仅凭症状无法确切地知道阑尾何时或者是否会破裂。
So, it's recommended that all people with severe abdominal pain seek immediate medical attention.
因此，建议所有腹痛剧烈的人立即就医。
Since doctors first identified appendicitis in the late 1800s, an appendectomy, or the surgical removal of the appendix, has been the standard treatment.
自十九世纪末医生首次确认阑尾炎以来，阑尾切除术或手术切除阑尾一直是标准治疗方法。
It's normally performed quickly, within 24 hours of diagnosis.
通常会很快手术，在诊断后24小时内。
Doctors remove the inflamed organ, which can double in size, either through one large incision, or through several smaller incisions using a camera and small instruments.
Recovery is typically quick, and most patients are discharged within a day or two.
恢复通常很快，大多数患者在一两天内出院。
Though, if the appendix has burst, surgery can be more extensive as any bacteria and pus need to be thoroughly cleaned from the abdominal cavity.
不过，如果阑尾破裂，手术的范围可能会更大，因为所有细菌和脓液都需要从腹腔彻底清除。
In the long term, living without an appendix is unlikely to lead to any health issues.
长远来看，没有阑尾生活不大可能导致健康问题。
Today, thanks to medical advances, many patients avoid surgery altogether.
如今，由于医学的进步，许多患者完全避免了手术。
Doctors have learned that appendicitis can often be treated with a simple course of antibiotics, started in the emergency room and continued at home.
医生知道，阑尾炎通常可以单用一个疗程的抗生素治疗，从急诊室开始，然后在家继续。
No matter the chosen course of treatment, it's likely to be less distressing than Rogozov's, who, after giving himself local anesthesia, removed his own appendix, stitched himself up, and resumed his regular duties just two weeks later.
Nevertheless, thanks to his story, doctors on remote stations in Antarctica now know to bring plenty of antibiotics to treat appendicitis, just in case.
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