Treatment From 1950's

[horselady]

I have a question that I've wondered about for years. When I was little, in the late 1950's I had constant bouts of tonsillitis and once a week I used to have to go to the local cottage hospital for what my Mum always called "heat treatment". I had to sit on a chair in front of a machine and two sort of paddle things were put near my throat on either side. I had to have this for quite a few months in the hope it would shrink my tonsils, needless to say it didn't work and I ended up having them out anyway. I've often wondered what the "rays" were and whether it would be thought of a dangerous now. I've managed to live all these years so it obviously didn't do any damage.

[dannyk13]

Back then I had a similar treatment for a broken thumb,the pads were put either side of the thumb and a mild electrical charge was passed through them.

[mallyh]

I had this treatnment to my face for my sinuses ,haven't a clue what is was and mum never asked as it wasn't the thing to query doctors then .

[horselady]

Oh well-we've all made it this far so can't have done us any harm!! Sqad will probably pop up at some point and explain all.

[Sqad]

This was just heat treatment to relieve the pain and inflammation of the tonsillitis.....a sort of Ibuprofen with pads ;-)
It did not in any way shrink the tonsils. The "Rays" were just heat, probably infrared and were not at all dangerous, just the fashion of the time.

[dannyk13]

Sqad, the ones I referred to were definitely some sort of electrical treatment as I could feel tingling.

[mallyh]

horselady when I was little they just stuck us all in hospital to have tonsils and adenoids out it was like a conveyor belt lol x

[Sqad]

danny...that sounds like short wave diathermy......a treatment still used most commonly for sports injuries.

[dannyk13]

Well, I didn't have a sports injury.My thumb was crushed in a power press. If I remember correctly I had to place my thumb in a shallow dish of water.

[horselady]

Thanks Sqad, as I said it didn't work anyway, which is hardly surprising.

[mikey4444]

I had my tonsils out in about 1955-6. I don't recall much about being in Hospital, or the Op, but I distinctly remember the Matron telling my parents that I should have plenty of ice cream, whenever I wanted it !

I overdosed on ice cream for months afterwards, using Matrons advice as my excuse....happy days !

But all of my younger brothers had tonsillitis, one of them really severely, for years, and yet their tonsils were not removed. I have never understood
why, as it stopped my attacks dead in their tracks.

Perhaps Sqad can tell us why the practise changed ?

[dannyk13]

Mikey, apparently the reason has to do with the tonsils catching germs and preventing infections.I think

[mikey4444]

Thanks Danny...I have looked it up on Wiki :::

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsil#Function

[Sqad]

\\\I overdosed on ice cream for months afterwards, using Matrons advice as my excuse....happy days\\\

This is now thought to be bad practice and is discouraged. the pain is due to spasm of the palatal muscles and this is best relieved with solid food...crisps, bread etc.

Removal of tonsils had always been controversial and varied from surgeon to surgeon. My particular practice was, if the patient had more than 5 attacks of tonsillitis per year, then that was an indication for their removal.

[Peter Pedant]

danny K's treatment was prescient - electric fields have been found to promote bone healing ....

indications for tonsillectomy here
http://www.sign.ac.uk/pdf/sign117.pdf
more about tonsils and tonsillectomy than you ever want to know

Now in the UK, the GP recommends tonsilletomy and it then goes to the a hospital/community care treatment committee who tell the ENT surgeon whether he can do one or not !
how times change....

[dannyk13]

Prescient treatment, that's not bad for a small cottage hospital in 1950

[mikey4444]

Thanks Sqad ...glad I had the ice cream though !

[Sqad]

" it then goes to the a hospital/community care treatment committee who tell the ENT surgeon whether he can do one or not ! "

That is State Medicine for you, no bloody committee would tell me or my colleagues, when or when not to operate.......that was a clinical decision and i would have rather emigrated than be told what to do.