In an astonishing discovery, scientists have uncovered a new organ hiding inside the human body. Scientists call this new organ "mesentery." It was first believed to be just structural fragments inside our digestive system.
Scientists from the University of Limerick in Ireland detected this organ and classified it as an active one. According to J. Calvin Coffey of the University of Limerick, who first discovered this organ, its function remains unclear. However, this discovery can open a whole new area of study.
Coffey said that his team would study and approach this new organ like any other. It is now possible to categorize abdominal diseases in relation to this organ. In this new study, the team detailed its anatomy and structure. The next step is determining its function. By understanding the function of the mesentery, it would be possible to identify if it is functioning abnormally or is linked to a disease.
Now, medical researchers, scientists, and medical students can investigate the primary role of the mesentery especially when it comes to abdominal and digestive diseases, and this can open new treatments in the near future.
This new organ can be described as a double fold of peritoneum, which lines the entire abdominal cavity and holds the intestines within the abdomen's wall.
Originally, Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci first described the mesentery in 1508 but was largely ignored for centuries until this new study.
To date, there are 79 known organs inside the human body including the mesentery.
This new study is published in medical journal, The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.