Francisco I, 76, is part of a lung removed to fight an infection he suffered many years ago. At that time, it was very common to treat lung infections surgically, because the use of antibiotics was not widespread.

Humans can survive even if an entire lung. When you remove a lung, the remaining lung is enlarged to fill part of the void. Living with one lung does not usually affect everyday tasks or life expectancy, but a person with a lung would not be able could not do certain exercises.

Here we present a list of bodies that can not survive:

Kidney: Humans have two kidneys but only need one to survive. We can be born with one kidney, or lose over our lives by an injury or a donation. In general, people with one kidney does not have health problems and have a normal life expectancy.

Spleen: The spleen filters blood and helps fight infections, but is not essential for survival. The spleen can be removed if you suffer any trauma. People without a spleen are more prone to infections.

Reproductive organs women may undergo removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) as a treatment for cancer, uterine fibroids, or other reasons. Men can undergo removal of their testicles as a treatment for testicular cancer.

Stomach: The stomach is removed (total gastrectomy) as a treatment for stomach cancer. In this procedure, the small intestine is connected with the esophagus. After a few days of recovery, these people are able to eat most foods, although they may need to eat food semitriturada and taking dietary supplements if they have problems absorbing vitamins.

Colon: The colon can be removed as a treatment for colon cancer or Crohn's disease. We can survive without it, but it may be necessary to use a colostomy bag to collect stool. There is already a surgical procedure that creates a pocket in the small intestine which functions as a colon, in this case, the use of the external pouch is not required.

Appendix: The appendix is ​​a small tube-shaped organ that protrudes from the first part of the large intestine. It is not clear what role, but is removed if it becomes inflamed or punctured.