302 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



the removal of the tonsils is a preventive measure of 

 great economic, social, and hygienic significance. 



The public is beginning to appreciate more and more 

 that although tonsillitis is generally a mild disease it is 

 not one whose effect upon the patient is always local and 

 one from which the victim always recovers quickly. If 

 it is as Felty believes, a specific streptococcus disease 

 caused by the hemolytic strain of this bacterium, it is a 

 menace to health locally, by extension through the blood 

 stream, by way of the lymphatics, and through the respi- 

 ratory and intestinal tracts. 



Bloomfield and Felty have shown that 40% of the indi- 

 viduals of a large group examined by them when tonsil- 

 litis was not prevalent were found to be carriers of the 

 hemolytic streptococcus. Later when certain members 

 of the group developed tonsillitis, the investigators were 

 surprised to find that the ill were among those of the 

 group who were not carriers of the organism. These car- 

 riers seem to enjoy immunity during the period of har- 

 boring the streptococcus. Spontaneous termination of 

 the carrier state is followed shortly by relatively hyper- 

 sensibility to tonsillitis. The organisms present in the 

 tonsils of carriers seem to have produced a protective 

 immunity which lasted but a short time after the re- 

 moval. 



From the standpoint of resistance individuals may be 

 divided into two groups; those naturally resistant, who 

 rarely have the disease, and susceptibles who have fre- 

 quent recurrences with intervals of immunity due to a 

 previous attack and its a>ssociated carrier state. 



The 17.6% of the prospective students examined who 

 had their tonsils removed had not only gotten rid of a 

 menace to their health but had made conditions in the 

 throats less favorable for the growth for the hemolytic 

 streptococcus. Removal of the tonsils, therefore, would 

 seem to be justified under two conditions; namely, re- 

 peated attacks of tonsillitis, and possibly to prevent the 

 individuals from remaining carriers and infecting others. 

 The mere appearance of the tonsils would not neces- 

 sarily be an indication for excision. 



