Medical Notes

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 7 (Supplement)

Medical Notes

SHORT CUTS TO HEALTH EXAMPLE OF NEW ZEALAND

BY SIR WILLIAM ARBUTHNOT LANE,

8.T., C.B, No. XVI. .JJ.NLAIIGED and chronically inflamed tonsils in childhood are a serious menace to health, and call for immediate and urgent treatment. Are they to be removed by surgical operation? If the toniiils are chronically diseased, it is generally recognised that tho only satisfactory way of dealing with them is to remove them completely. Unfortunately, it is not easy to decide just what is a chronically diseased tonsil. Mere enlargement alone is not a sufficient indicator, unless the increase in size is very great and doe? not disappear after sources of germ, infection, such as bad teeth, have been dealt with, and other hygienic measures have been adop'ted. It is only when the tonsils have completely lost their protective function, and % on account of their Beptic enlarged condition have become a menace instead of being a safeguard,. that they should bo eradicated. Tho /, tendency to remove the tonsils from every child who shows the slightest tonsilar enlargement is a •Juite unjustifiable mutilation and is robbing the child of one of the most valuable germ barriers of the body. Parents of children who frequently sufier from throut ''colds" often agitate and force their physician's hand in demanding that tho children should have their tonsils out." it is so easy flild convenient to blame tho tonsils—instead of'carefully studying the mode 01 hfo of the child and rectifying tho eirors in hygiene which are cortuin to cj.ist. They should never forget that there are no short cuts to health; at least, upt without subsequent retribution.

When to Operate At the- same time, all physicians Wcognise that in children, in certain circumstances, removal of chronically unhealthy tonsils is an operation which g.ves very beneficial results. If the Mechanical effects of enlargement seem likely to induce the projecting teeth, open mouth, pinched nostrils, poorly developed chest and other structural deformities!, or if the infection is generally poisoning the body system, then an operation is clearly indicated. In the case of adults, the grounds for removal of the tonsils are somewhat different. Here the mechanical obstructive effects are of less significance, while the dangers of self-poisoning .are greater. Owing to the peculiar structure of the tonsils (the presence of deep crypts,opening from the surface), disease germs may locate tbero and produce poisons which are absorbed into the' blood stream and produce harmful effects in distant parts of the body. The tonsils are acting like little poison factories. One of the most

Should Tonsils be Removed?

common symptoms produced is an "always tired" feeling, and when this is suffered from, it jis always advisable to have the tonsils carefully examined by a throat specialist. Quite a number of serious illnesses are associated with infected tonsils, notably chronic rheumatism (arthritis, neuritis, sciatica, lumbago), recurrent eye inflammation, severe anaemia, and eczema. Removal of the tonsils in such cases, provided it is carried out sufficiently early, frequently has a beneficial action on the course of the disease and may actually lead to its cure. Prevention is Better . . . I must again emphasise the need for the prevention of unhealthy tonsils. This serious complaint is related to deficiencies in the diet of the child, or even in the diet of the mother before the birth of the child. Though enlarged tonsils and adenoids are appallingly prevalent in the poorer classes, they are also common among the more prosperous. For example, in 'New Zealand, with its well-to-do middleclass population, the infantile mortality is tho lowest recorded, and the children are well cared for, yet the occurrence of adenoids and tonsilar enlargement is very common. . How is this to be explained. The reason is to be found in the excessive consumption of unnatural starchy foods which so often form the foundation of the children's dietary. To conclude: enlargement and infection of these lymphoid tissues represent «i lowered vitality on tho part of the child, arising from ill-nourishment, lack of sunshine and fresh air. Prevention demands' a revolution in the popular conception of the * dietetic needs of tho child. Highly concentrated sugar foods must bo replaced by an abundance of raw fruit and vegetables and Iresh milk. Let parents realise these simple facts, and they can Kptiro their children much suffer* ing and unhappiness in the present and in tho future.