This year's third annual tour of local family landmarks (first year blog post here) included a stop at the former farm home pictured above of my great uncle and aunt, Bill and Mary Milne near Virden in the Boss Hill district. During the drive, my Aunt Marjorie added a memory of hers about this house that I just had to look into further!
She said her older brother Keith Kinnaird and cousin Jeff Milne had their tonsils removed on the kitchen table of this house by Dr. George Clingan (1868-1944) in the mid 30's! Clingan had many experiences over his life including M.L.A., mayor of Virden, commander in WW1, and president of the Manitoba Medical Association. I suppose I shouldn't doubt his methods. His wife Ida wrote The Virden Story in 1957.
Tonsil and adenoid removal is so rarely done now, but was very routine at one time as were housecalls for medical matters. The availability of antibiotics and change in medical opinions on the usefulness of tonsils and adenoids has resulted in fewer removals.
A similar memory is retold on this 2009 blog written by Robert Keith Smith who lived near Oak Lake. At this link http://www.gwenmar.com/twtd/?page_id=65 almost at the bottom of the page, you can read about his experience with his tonsillectomy at home.
Just to prove anything that you want to learn about is on Youtube, the brave among you can watch this silent film of the procedure developed by Mr. George Waugh from London in the 1930's. I have not it watched it myself, by the way. Some things you just can't unsee after all!
Thinking about that day, it's one of those moments that makes me think of this phrase:
"...change in medical opinions on the usefulness of tonsils and adenoids has resulted in fewer removals."
ReplyDeleteThis is very true, since it was discovered that tonsils give protection from paralytic polio. Tonsils prevent the polio virus from ascending to the bulbar region of the brain stem. This was suspected from the 1930s, and confirmed by 1954, and the medical fashion of taking tonsils out unnecessarily was finally stopped.
It's so interesting to read of how this medical trend was carried out.