Member-only story
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Surgically Remove It
A Glance From Deep In The Throat To Down In The Pants
Tonsillectomies—”the op”
When I was growing up, in the 1950s and early 1960s, tonsillectomies —the surgical procedure to remove the tonsils — were extremely common.
Surgeons were advising that all but 5% of children examined should have what they referred to charmingly as “the op”.
Facts, such as that tonsils are part of the lymphatic system, which helps to fight infections, were pushed to the background. Ignoring the function is the misdemeanor—to make money from that deliberate and purposeless surgery is the crime.
Many of my schoolmates were out of school due to tonsillectomies, coming back with exciting stories of being able to eat as much ice cream as they wanted. I missed out on that one.
Research evolved, perspectives changed.
Since 1978 the surgery has declined dramatically as research concluded there was insufficient evidence that the benefits of tonsillectomy outweighed the risks—that the procedure should be approached based on actual current necessity and not as a possibly preventative measure.
Current equivalents of…
