18, 6 Garcia and Solloza: Vermiform Appendix 709 
Our three hundred forty cases showed extremes of length to 
be 2 centimeters and 20, the combined average being 8.5. 
Regarding the general average of the appendicial length, we 
found that different authors obtained different results. We 
give below another table setting forth these facts: 
In our three hundred forty cases the combined average length 
in adults was 8.5 centimeters. 
From Table 3 we can deduce that the average length, as 
measured by different authors, is a variable factor. We might 
perhaps account for this variability by differences in technic and 
the probable fact that the point of commencement of the ap- 
pendix is not uniformly determined by the different investi- 
gators. Following the procedure of Berry,(1) averaging the 
different general averages in order to minimize the coefficient of 
error, we have found the combined average of all to be from 
7.7 to 8.6 centimeters. 
The shortest appendix on record is reported by Fawcett and 
Blachford,(6) to be 1.5 centimeters. Unusually long appendices 
were reported up to the present as follows: 
em. 
Sonneberg (28) 25 
Lafarelle (16) 23 
Luschka (18) 23 
Ribbert (23) 21 
In our series, the shortest was 2 centimeters and the longest 20. 
Textbooks as a rule state the average length of the appendix 
without any reference to age or sex relation. Berry and No- 
wicki claimed to have obtained definite variations in these rela- 
tions. . On the other hand, Fawcett and Blachford(6) conclude 
that, while there may be a definite relation between the length 
and the sex, the relation to age is not very conclusive. Tables 
4 and 5 illustrate these points. 
While no sweeping conclusion can be drawn from these 
tables, yet we agree with Nowicki(20) that there is a gradual, 
steady growth in the length of the appendix up to a certain age, 
which in his cases happened to be between 20 and 40 years (in 
ours between 20 and 50), from which time a gradual decline 
is noted until, at the age of 80 or over, he found the difference 
or loss to be about 1 inch, while our combined average was 4.4 
centimeters less than our longest average. 
The general statement frequently made that the appendix is 
longer in the young than in the aged appears to find confirma- 
tion in our findings as well as in those of the authors quoted in 
tables 4 and 5. 
