Surgery that fell out of favour

REMOVING tonsils was so popular in the 1 60s that 200,000 operations took place a year.

The procedure, known as a tonsillectomy, was seen as an effective way to prevent repeat tonsillitis and other infections.

However, tonsillectomies fell out of favour as other treatments became available and doctors said many operations had been unnecessary. In 1 4, just 77,600 were carried out. Then, in 2000, a scare over surgical equipment potentially infected with ‘mad cow disease’ led to a further drop.

By 200 , tonsillectomies carried out in the UK had fallen to 4 ,000. However, in recent years doctors have raised concerns not enough tonsils are being removed. Hospital admissions for tonsil-related emergency treatment jumped by 41 per cent between 2000 and 2008.