Tonsillectomy and Poliomyelitis

Abstract

Tonsillectomy and Poliomyelitis.During recent months serious consideration has been given to the effect of tonsil operations on susceptibility to infection with the virus of poliomyelitis. Dr. Kenneth F. Maxcy, who is retiring after a very distinguished career as a leader in the field of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, has summarized the evidence on this point for us. We are grateful for this succinct summary.In addition to the specific antigen-antibody interaction of poliomyelitis, it has become apparent in the past three decades that certain nonspecific factors and conditions may determine distribution of the virus in the central nervous system