Appreciating the Tonsils
The most frequently performed operation on the human body, next to pulling teeth, is the removal of the tonsils. The operation, called a tonsillectomy, is performed mostly on young children. Is this operation always wise? What is the function of the tonsils?
Actually, we have several different sets of tonsils. The two generally referred to by the term “tonsils” are in the back of the mouth just above the throat, below the roof of the mouth and toward each side. These are termed the “palatine” tonsils because of their close proximity to the palate.
Tonsils at times get inflamed and swell. Especially when these become badly infected do they almost completely block the throat, so removal of infected tonsils has long been practiced?
While the medical profession today discourages the removal of the tonsils except in cases where they are seriously infected, the facts reveal a wide difference in attitude toward the practice. Thus the Canadian Medical Association Journal of December 28, 1963, observed that in some areas of Canada hospitals remove proportionately nine times as many tonsils in the course of a year as do others. Obviously, this represents quite a difference of opinion as to the indications for removing tonsils.
The tonsils are now recognized as defending the body against infections that would otherwise invade it. They are composed of lymphoid tissue, which forms the white blood cells called lymphocytes, the cells that attack germs in the body. That harm can result from their unnecessary removal is becoming more and more evident. Thus, it has been found that there is a much higher ratio of multiple sclerosis in persons who had their tonsils removed than among those of their relatives who did not have their tonsils removed. —Lancet, December 18, 1965.
Also, it has been observed that, among children who have had their tonsils removed, there is a higher proportion of polio than among children who were not deprived of their tonsils. Reporting on this matter in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (1955), Dr. R. S. Paffenbarger, Jr., stated that his research “leads us to believe that susceptibility to polio is enhanced by tonsillectomy per se.” And writing in the American Journal of Hygiene, September 1959, he gave further reasons why cutting out the tonsils predisposes children to polio-virus invasions. Supporting his position, The Merck Manual (1961) states that “recent evidence indicates that patients who have had tonsillectomy are more apt to develop bulbar poliomyelitis than patients who have not undergone such surgery.”
In both the United States and the United Kingdom, the ratio of deaths from complications resulting from tonsillectomies is one in 10,000. To some persons, this may not seem to be many, though in the United States it amounts to upward of 100 a year. But noteworthy is the statement of one authority who says that “more by far die from complications of tonsillectomies than ever die from diseased tonsils.”
What can be done when tonsils are inflamed? Among other things prescribed are rest, hot or cold compresses around the neck, a light diet, possibly aspirin and/or antibiotics. Enemas or purgatives are beneficial, and gargles, sprays and throat lozenges may be soothing. The Australian Medical Journal, January 12, 1963, told of a milk-free diet. A certain doctor has been using this with great success in curing stubborn tonsillitis. But, above all, do not hurry yourself to have your children’s tonsils removed.
