It was once one of the most common operations performed in Britain. For much of the 20th century, tonsillectomies – in which the tonsils, two fleshy mounds at the back of the throat, are cut out to stop repeated infections – were practically a rite of passage for children.
The legendary James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore recalled in his autobiography how, as a boy growing up in 1930s London, doctors decided to remove his tonsils after a bout of mumps and a ‘raging sore throat’. ‘I wasn’t really too sure what this would entail,’ said Sir Roger, ‘but was promised
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