The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-02-17
WHAT, WE HAVE NO ADENoIDs?

l Parents are beset on the one hand by the tin | doctors-school nurse, over-offciOus teachers l social service agents-wLo decide from the child's dull look. listessness mouth breathing that the child's adenoids should be removed; and on the other hand by the plausible appeals of l apostles of natural healing methods who de nounce a grievous error the removal of dis eased tonsils but seldom wax oratorical about the removal of diseased teeth, although even or thodocs know that diet sunshine and other heal cavities and infection of the teeth. reck- on the layman is not so easy to jolly along with a bad tooth in his jowl.
 It was of the many disillusionments of ac- tual practice for me- to find that the familiar old textbook picture of the "adenoid facies'' was so misleading. Most kids who really had large adenoids failed to look the part; and after the | first few years of mistakes learned to regard any such expression with suspicion, for as rule I actual examination. Still I gather from the let ters of readers that some of the tin doctors are on the face of it. In some badly governed towns | the school board or even the health board spon- sors and actually employs nurses who are en- couraged to examine the throats of the poor chill dren Con the principle that the poor have no pride) and to advise such treatment as the little l tin doctor deems necessary. warn parents to be- ware of this racket and especially to beware of the wholesale clinics where children round- ed up for tonss and adenoid operations largely | on the say-so of tin doctors. If your own family doctor advises the removal of tonsls or adenoids, l by all means follow his advice-or change doc tors. But when any school or shop or factory or insurance firms nurse attempts to perpetrate tirS doctorng the wise parent will decline to have
 
 we'll informed physician will deny it, when I say that thousands of children have been subjected to such adenoid and tonsil operations for no good reason at all, but just because some tin doctor has thought it necessary. Indeed have seen the wholesale operators in such clinics turn from operation to rine next the luckless vic- l tim being wheeled in already under anesthesia, and the operator learning from the nurse who herded the younesters in. that the next is "an- | of medical affairs, but that's the way the clinic game and the tin doctor business works. In childhood the tonsils and adenod body are normally large. To the amateur the tonsils of a healthy youngster look enlarged" What if ton- | and no menace to the child's health. It is only when these structures large to cause obstruction symptoms that any treatment is ad- visabie Mouth breathing may be, but usually is | not of the obstruction symptoms. Adenoids and enlarged tonsils less frequently the cause of mouth breathing than are habit, faulty devel- opment of the teeth and jaws and face and sim
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Derangement of Knee
 I am woman A years old. Would appreci- ate any exercise you might have to offer for cap seems to retain it's natural position only | when stifen my leg. Otherwise when relax the leg the knee cap seems to protrude and drop. Answer-If were assured the trouble is jus. | kind of nervous dimpe I might suggest some | ment of the knee joint, and it would be unwise to indulge in any exercises if that is the case You should have medical advice
 | Canning Processes Where can get authoritative information on ! canning processes for use in the home? I raise my own vegetables and would like to can them to | retain much of the vitamin value as possible, yet be safe against food poisoning. (H. l. IT. l Answer-The National Gamers association is- sues information to the public, from its Wash ington office. Your congressman will have gov- ernment bulletin or safe home canning processes i sent you if you write him, or you may write to the department of agriculture, Washington, D. | C., for these.
 | Structure Is there for structure without operation? :? | (E. O
 Answer-Dilation will cure stricture if prop erly done over reasonable period of time.