Journal Club: Is the Appendectomy the Next Surgery on the Chopping Block?

Medicine has a long history of bad ideas. Prior to the advent of antibiotics in the early 20th century, your town doctor was probably no better than your grandmother at medicine. Just about every ailment was treated with morphine. We had bloodletting. There were mysterious elixirs with cocaine in them. When you were short of breath, your doctor would hand you a…