Tonsillectomies still performed, more selectively

Dear Doctors: When I was young, it seemed to be a regular practice that you would get your tonsils removed, though I still have mine. Why was that? Is it still the same now? What are the pros and cons of having your tonsils removed as a child?

Dear Reader: You are correct. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, tonsillectomies were common preventive care. As a frontline organ of the immune system,…