So far, school textbooks have agreed that we have seventy-eight organs in our body. This number, however, has been revised upwards by two Irish researchers from the University of Limerick.

According to their study, published in the scientific journal " The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology ", we can count one more. His little name? The mesentery.

Not officially recognized for the moment by the scientific community as an "organ" but currently considered as a "connective tissue", it could eventually be considered as the 79th organ of the human body and be included in the famous reference manual " Anatomy of the Human Body " by Henry Gray.

A connecting organ between the intestine and the abdomen

Scientists have discovered that the mesentery is a continuous structure, not a structure composed of several distinct parts, hence its classification into organ.

"Until then, it was considered fragmented, sometimes present, sometimes absent, and very complex structure.The anatomical description accepted for more than 100 years was incorrect.This body is far from fragmented and complex. simply one continuous structure, "said J. Calvin Coffey, one of the authors of the study, in a statement.

The mesentery, which connects the small intestine to the posterior abdominal wall, also has a major role in the human body: it prevents the intestines from falling to the bottom of the pelvis when we are standing. Phew!

Leonardo da Vinci, the father of the mesentery?

The Irish are not the first to lift the veil on this organ. They are nearly 100 years late ... The famous painter Leonardo da Vinci was already drawing on his sketches at the beginning of the 16th century.

The next step will now be to find out if the mesentery could be used to treat some diseases such as colorectal cancer, bowel cancer or Crohn's disease.

"We have established its anatomy and its structure, the next step is to determine its function.In understanding the function, we can identify a dysfunction and then the disease.In combination, these elements constitute the mesenteric science ... the basis of a new scientific field, "explained J. Calvin Coffey. He added that this discovery could lead to less invasive surgeries, reduce the risk of postoperative complications, and provide faster patient recovery with lower cost of operations.

An entire program.