Before birth, the spleen produces red and white blood cells, but after a baby is born, it only produces white cells called lymphocytes, and antibodies. Lymphocytes are the primary tools the body uses to fight bacterial infections.
The spleen of a healthy adult is approximately the size of a closed fist and is located on the left side of the abdomen, just below the ribs. If a splenectomy (removal of the spleen) is necessary because of disease, the other organs in the body will take over the bacteria-fighting process. The spleen also serves as a filter for old and damaged red blood cells.
Living without a Spleen
You can live an active and happy life without a spleen. You will, however, be at greater risk of infection from sources such as pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis. Antibiotic vaccinations will be given on a regular basis to children who have had a splenectomy to prevent these risks.
Dr. Andrew Weil, in answering a patient's inquiry about a child without a spleen, stated "The most important strategy you can use to safeguard your son’s health is to make sure that he gets medical attention for even minor illnesses such as sore throat or sinus infections."
Most commonly, a splenectomy is performed as the result of trauma such as a car accident, but may also be required as a result of a blood clot (thrombosis) in the blood vessels of the spleen, diseases or disorders of blood cells, Sickle cell anemia, or cirrhosis of the liver.
While long-term antibiotic treatment may not be necessary for most adults, it is a vital protection to prevent sepsis for those who are active around dogs. For example, those who have had their spleen removed are not allowed to train with military K-9 units. Roughly 20 percent of dogs carry a bacteria in their mouths called Capnocytophaga canimorsu. A bite from a dog carrying the C. canimorsu bacteria can bring about sepsis and a long, difficult recovery from fever, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, severe fatigue, and possible death in 15-30% of cases.
It is essential, therefore, to be aware of the risks inherent in daily exposure to bacteria and to keep one's body as healthy as possible to combat the life-long effects of not having a spleen.
Seat of Emotions?
Ida Mingle wrote in The Spiritual Significance of the Body (1936, School of Livable Christianity, Chicago, IL), "The Spleen has long been associated with ill-humour, anger, and feelings of a malevolent nature." In ancient times, men of science (both physicians and philosophers) believed that the body, the mind and the spirit were inextricably entwined so that the "humours" were seated in the body's organs.
The four humours were considered to dwell in the body's fluids: the black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood. Too much or too little of one of these elements would produce a particular type of individual. For example, too much blood made one "sanguine" and too much black bile made one melancholy. Too much "phlegm" made one, naturally, phlegmatic, and yellow bile, in excess, made one "choleric". Black bile, alleged to come from the spleen, produced an individual who was easily irritated, did not sleep well, and (not surprisingly) could become despondent.
Although it sounds silly today, the impact of this approach to medicine and the human body lasted into the 20th century.
Today we might refer to these as "temperaments" and there are several schools of psychological analysis of behavior which are based on the "four temperaments" or moods.
References:
- Quote: the spleen as the "most ignored and misunderstood" of human organs, ask.yahoo.com/20000925.html, accessed 10/15/09.
- Article on Spleen Removal, at NIH's MedlinePlus.com.,www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002944.htm, accessed 10/15/09
- C. canimorsus, mentioned on Snopes.com, msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=48;t=000484;p=1, accessed 10/16/09
- The Spirituality of the Body, by Ida Mingle, School of Livable Christianity, Chicago, IL, 1936, as found on Google Books: books.google.com/books?isbn=0787306193
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