The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-16

Warrington, d. C., NOV. lS.-The
sore throat season 10 approaching
when tonsils will again be . pop
ular topic Of conversation. Scarce
~ an adult but WAKES intense over
. general discussion Of tonsils.
Everybody has them or has had an
exciting time getting rid Of them.
and II by chance 4 grown-up hasn't
personally q performing set Of tom
sils, there are always the ,tonsilar
adventures Of the children, not TO
speak of their adenoids.
Yet, With oil the interest In this
subject, comparatively few people
can tell what tonsils are for and
why mankind 10 % pestered by
them.
A throat specialist Of this city,
DR.. W. A. Wells, explained some Of
the modern ideas on this subject
the other day. It. may be a shock
to some people to learn that we
really should practically dispense
with tonsils by the age OF IS years
At the age Of IL in girls and about
Is in boys the tonsils should be
shrunken almost to atrophy, says
Dr.. Wells.
II you have had NO tonsilar
troubles since childhood, the prob
abilities are that yours naturally
faded out Of your life at the pro.
per time II this is the case you
should have practically no trouble
for the rest of your days. This
was natures plan, as modern spe-
cialists understand it. The ton
sils serve their purpose in infancy
and childhood, and then they un'
obtrusively shrink.
There are several theories re
garding the function of the ton
sis. The belief that they in an,
way affect digestion or the singing
voice is no longer generally Reld
DR.. Wells says that the most plaus
ible theory is that they make white
blood cells in young children. A,
about the age Of 10 or IL the bone
marrow, which makes the same sort
of cells, begins to be active and thu
tonsils are NO longer needed fol
this purpose.
1t is a sad fact, however, tha
most people do not retire their ton
sils at the critical stage. II thu
tonsils are not altogether health.
at the time when shrinkage wOule
normally occur, the diseased organs
flourish and on a very little encour
agement from germs at any tint
become sore and swollen.
How the Trouble Starts.
Trouble starts somewhat lik'
this: The tonsil is a capsule con
tanning a mass of soft and spong.
tissue known as lymphoid. In thi'
tissue are number Of crypts ant
depressions. Germ colonies lodg,
in these recesses, and diseased MAJ
! ter and pus form. These produce
poisons and the poisons spread
through the system. In recen
years diseased teeth have been
popular explanation Of all mannel
Of ailments. Now the throat spe
ciaiist offers the theory that nine
cases out Of 10 of rheumatism ant
neuritis can be traced to diseased
tonsils. Heart trouble. kidney in
Examinations. high blood pressure
and even hardened arteries, have
| been connected with tonsils.
If the natural atfophy fails tt
take place in adolescence it is gen
orally deferred until old age. Thel
the soft lymphoid tissue is grad
ually replaced by hard, fibrous tbs
sue.
! One of the most recent uses o
radium to be developed to a prac
tcial stage is in connection witt
tonsils. Radium is now being use'
successfully to cause the atroph
that nature fails to accomplish. Dr
Wells, who recently published re