T O N S I L
The tonsils are masses of lymphoid tissue situated in the throat. Unless unqualified "tonsil" invariably refers to one of the two collections of lymphoid tissue that lie one on each side of the throat; they can readily be seen when the mouth is fully opened and the tongue depressed by a suitable instrument. These tonsils are correctly called the palatine tonsils to distinguish them from the smaller lingual tonsils embedded in the posterior part of the tongue, and from the nasopharyngeal tonsils I the back wall of the nasal cavity. The tonsils are relatively larger in children than in adults; in a healthy individual they diminish in size quite rapidly once puberty is reached. Childhood episodes of acute tonsillitis are very common. The characteristic symptoms are a raised temperature, loss of appetite, slight cough, and sometimes vomiting. The glands at the side of the neck are usually found to be enlarged. Childhood tonsillitis is caused by infection with germs, and is the precise equivalent of an adult's sore throat. Where the germs involved are bacteria (such as the common Streptococcus), antibiotics will produce a rapid cure. Where the infecting agent is a virus, symptomatic measure such as the giving of aspirin are the only effective therapy. Recovery can be expected in a few days. Removal of tonsils is undertaken much less commonly than it used to be, but it may sometimes be necessary in a child who appears to have chronically inflamed tonsils.
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