The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-11-16
PASSING OF THE ADENOID
OBSESSION

Ten or fifteen years ago queries
about the removal of adenoids were
fairly frequent. Such queries are now
quite rare. From this ! gather that
teachers, nurses and other dilettanteS
are not so keen about the game OF
guessing the child has adenoidS II ne
looks or seems dumb. Formerly this
was one of the favorite indoor pas
times OF the little tin doctors. School
boards everywhere are made up CHIEF
ly of hard-headed business men and
women-hard-h headed and conceit-
ed. AS rule they are just as ignor-
ant about everything pertaining to
health education and the training OF
the body as are most laymen. Per-
haps that is why they assign to
teachers and nurses certain functions
which are really medical. Clearly this
is a saving of the taxpayers money,
for a teacher or nurse can be hired
for a lower wage than you would
have to pay a doctor, and chances
are the child's parents won't notice
anything fishy about the Quackery.
If this school board sponsored Quack-
cry is going out of fashion it is be-
cause the practice is too ridiculous
to withstand criticism nowadays.
The adenoid body, otherwise called
the pharyngeal tonsil, is normal
structure of the same character as
the tonsils, situated on the vault OF
the throat cavity up behind the soft
palate. So far as we know it serves
the same purpose as the tonsils DO,
that is, the defense of the body
against germ invasions.
Nowadays We do not condemn a
child's tonsils merely because they
are enlarged. We know that in health
a child's tonsils are naturally large
and that with the usual infections
that occur in childhood the size of
the tonsils varies considerably from
season to season.
For instance, health officer
examined all the pupils in a small
school and noted enlarged tonsilS and
adenoids in large number Of them
So many seemed to have enlarge
ments that the doctor decided to
postpone his recommendation Of ton
sill and adenoid operation for a while
and watch the children. The young
sters seemed husky enough. At the
end of the school year he again
examined all the pupils. With one
or two exceptions they all had small
tonsils now. The doctor concluded
that season or weather has some
thing to do with it.
Certainly sunshine has. The more
sunlight on naked skin the more
Vitamin A the body receives, and this
fortifies against infections and pre-
vents overgrowth or hypertrophy Of
tonsil and adenoid tissues. Ultravio.
let light from artificial source has q
similar influence, though direct sun
light is far richer in the ultraviolet
rays even in midWinter.
If the tonsilS or the adenoid body
be badly damaged by injection, and
possibly base or depot from which
germs can make raids on other or.
gans of the body, then the defensive
role Or purpose of the tonsils and
adenoids is no longer consideration
they have become a menace to health
and had better be removed, or at any
rate disinfected.
1t is mistake to assume chile
requires adenoid removal just because
the child has dull expression Of
breattes through the mouth or re-
minds teacher or nurse of picture
of the "adenoid face" she once saw
in some quack doctor book. This TIL
doctor diagnosis has brought tot
many children to an unwarrantee
operation. What, the bell? I veril,
believe the censor invented this sys
TEN, for the bell always rings jus
as am about to say something.