An Irish professor has made an incredible discovery about the human body that has turned the history of anatomy on its head.
Professor J Calvin Coffey has identified a new organ in the digestive system, which up until now had been believed to be a complicated, fragmented structure made up of a series of parts.
However, the mesentery, which is located between the intestine and the abdomen, has been recognised as one continuous structure by Coffey – by definition, an organ.
Coffey is Professor of surgery at University of Limerick’s Graduate Entry Medical School and he wrote about his findings in top medical journal The Lancet – Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
“In the paper, which has been peer-reviewed and assessed, we are now saying we have an organ in the body which hasn’t been acknowledged as such to date,” said Prof Coffey.
“The anatomic description that had been laid down over 100 years of anatomy was incorrect.
‘This organ is far from fragmented and complex. It is simply one continuous structure.”
The re-classification of the mesentery as an organ has opened up a whole new world of medical study, and the possibility of better healthcare for patients.
Professor Coffey explained: “Up to now, there was no such field as mesenteric science.
“Now, we have established anatomy and the structure.
“The next step is the function. If you understand the function you can identify abnormal function, and then you have disease.
“Put them all together and you have the field of mesenteric science, the basis for a whole new area of science.”
It is hoped a better understanding of the mesentery could lead to less invasive surgeries, faster patient recovery times, fewer complications and lower overall costs.
Professor Coffey’s work has been recognised by the world’s most well-known medical textbook, Gray’s Anatomy, with students now learning about the mesentery as a continuous organ.
Irish professor discovers new organ in human body
