The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-03-30
BE1TER TO BE FILTERED THAN ROBBED

rrosesaiona1 singer was robbed of his ton- ils recently. The brass specialist who commt- ted the robbery got away wth .rs oy tbe nub licity the singers professional connexions brought. Still 1t is not all beer ana sAtsles, , suppose. It was an excellent pupncHy 1op anu no doubt the press agent who did the work received his percentage from both the siheeI and the brass specialist. It was vel nish perfect job. can think of but one pit or em- bellishment that might have been aodeo - U picture of a pretty girl in nurse regalia taking the patients pulse with thumb on uina wniie he tries out his voice to see the effcct or the operation
 Sixteen years ago New York physician canvaased 500 Iaryngologists (throat specialists to YOU, chiIdren) and 500 singing teachers or rather teachers of singing, and tapulatea tneir opinions of the results of tonsiliectomy on tne singing voice. Of course in those days the oid Spanish custom was the conventional stanoaro -exercising as much of the tonsil as one could engage in the guillotine and snare, and If this left too much tonsl in the throat, then hsnlns around and shipping off tags and ends with scissors or dissecting them out with scalpel.
 This survey embraced 5000 tonsil opera tions on singers. Here are the man cohciu- sions the investigator reached:
 l. In the hands of skilled operators tonsil operations in singers give good results.
 g. Loss of singing voice occurs very rarely after tonsillectomy.
 8. Impaired voice is possible, out most cases show an increased range of from haiI to a full tone.
 A. Bad results are most often due to scars from careless dissection or from neglected after treatment. 5. Injury to the tissues surrounding the tons may prove disastrous.
 At the time the report of this survey was given to the profession god throat surgeons agreed that bad results are due to careless dis section to injury of tissues surrounding the tons but said that no amount or kind Of after treatment" will prevent such injuries from leaving scars and perhaps bad after eff fects
 The last bedside bulletin in the case that actuates this discussion told the anxious world that the tenor had achieved the high or whatever rare note his tonsils had prevented him from singing before.
 Nowadays singers speakers who patur- ally prefer to take no chances of injurinS the voice may have their tonsils removed with impunity. Indeed, not a few have been able to keep up their regular speaking or singing en- agreements while undergoing diathermy treat ment for extirpation of the tonsils Moreover. the modern method-it is the method or choice for anyone who, like myself, cannot regard with equanimity the possible "complica- tions' of the guillotine and snare atrocity - the diathermy method is at least as effective In the eradication of infecton as Is old fashioned, bloody, dangerous surgery in everyday practice.
 How anyone, least of all a physician, can recommend practice the old Spanish method in this day of shockless, bloodless, painless surgery, is more than l can understand. If ] wished to get rid of my tonsils I'd rather they be plfered than that be assaulted and rob- bed of them