"I went to the doctor and he said I had acute appendicitis, and I said compared to who?"

This quote by Jay London is a humorous way of revealing the surprise and disbelief of being detected with a severe medical condition. The speaker is likely making light of the circumstance by comparing their diagnosis to someone else's. This might be interpreted as a method of expressing shock that they could be so unfortunate as to have a severe medical condition, or it could be a way of revealing disbelief that somebody else might be so fortunate as to not have the exact same condition. In any case, the speaker is most likely attempting to minimize the circumstance and find some humor in it. This quote is a suggestion that humor can be an excellent way to manage tight spots.