title: Guillotine tonsillectomy: a glimpse into its history and current status in the United Kingdom.
abstract: Guillotine tonsillectomy was the widely practised technique of tonsillectomy in the late 19th century as it was considered a quick and reliable method of removing tonsils. It fell into disrepute in the early 20th century. This paper reviews the history of the origin of the tonsillotome and traces the various modifications over the last few centuries. The current practice of guillotine tonsillectomy is examined by means of a postal questionnaire survey of all UK consultants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, Merseyside, UK. johnshob@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lancaster
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000266:history; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006113:United Kingdom