The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-17
BEWARE THE TONSIL
 SNATCHERS

A physician whose achievements in the bloodless removal Of tonslIs (diathermy or o-coagulations) have won him high repute in thla country, comparable with that ot Mckenzie in England, was invited to address a large medical society -one affiliated with the AMA. He accepted the invitation and advised the medical society that this method of treatment would be the subject of his address.
 Oh, oh. A pause-long enough for the program committee to submit the question to the Big Noise, you know. the ubiquitous one who runs the ANA. Tn a few days the phy- sician received a polite note from the medical society to the effect that the subject he proposed was too controversial"
 Trouble was the physician was too honest. Had he advised the narrow minded little yes-man in charge of the program that he would talk about the Bloody Old Spanish Method of removing ton- sils, there would have been no ob- jections, for there is nothing "con- troversial' abount that atrociouS business. The victims art general ly in no condition to quarrel aout the merits of the method after 1t has been inflicted upon them and the surgeons who make such & to-do about their thorough removel of every bit of tonsil (along with good bits of throat muscle and the like which they seldom mention) are unanimous in the conviction that public discussion of the sub- ject is controversial and hence unethical.
 If I had infected tonsils and my physician believed the tonsil infec~ ton might possibly be accountable for any serious chronic disability, such as arthritis, assure you no one would subject me to the bloody old Spanish method. I'd have elec- tro-coagulation, diathermy treat" ment, no more. For believe such treatment, at the hands of physi. clan skilled in the bloodless meths cd, is at least as likely to eradi- cate disinfest, sterilize, detroy or pastuerize a septic focus in the tonsil as is the most radical major operation, and far, far safer than that atrocious procedure in any case.
 The butcher boys in the medical profession and a shamefully large number of the rank and file of practising physicians are narrow minded, prejudiced. anticipated, ar. bitary and perverse about the treatment of enlarged tonsils (and adenoids) in children and infected tonsils in older persons. The less people know about enlarged and in- fected tonsils the more readily they sunbmit to the guillotine and snare.
 QUESTIONS and ANSWERS Effects of Tobacco If a person aged thirty years who has been a heavy smoker quits smoking, how long does it take to get the nicotine out of her system. (D. R) l Answer-It is only a surmise that nicotine gets into the system of heavy smoker. Whatever the injur- 1 iouS element or elements in tobac- co smoke may be, it or they are entirely destroyed or eXcreted or eliminated within "A to 48 hours after the use of tobacco has been discontinued. If any damage has been done by such elements (say by the carbon monoxide in the smoke) 1t may be months before full recovery.
 A Stream in Arizona? You are the man who answered an inquiry about drinking water from a stream in Arizona by saying there hasn't been stream of runs ming water in Arizona since tho year 5000 B. c. Now surely you've heard of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, Doc, if not of beautiful Oak Creek Canyon (The Call of the Canyon).
 q. H. M, PrescotD
 AnSWer-Seems to me there was some such question on Quiz pro- gram recently. But after all, the lady didn't say the Grand Canyon or the Colorado River was in her back yard, However, I hereby &C., knowledge receipt of your advice that Prescott has an altitude of 5,350 feet and should not be cons fused with Phoenix or Tuscon desert country. But I still say one climate is as good as another. pros vided you live most of the time outdoors in reasonable comfort. Even if the sun doesn't shine brightly.
 Copyright l945. John r. Dille Col