The average of the boys in the control group was 74·21 and for the first group after operation 74·06. "It is interesting to note," says the author, "that the standing of slightly more than half of those operated on was improved, but when compared with those not operated on, no difference is seen."
In a similar study of younger boys who had undergone the operation on entering college, and who had since had a year's study (again a group of 45), the general average was 76·61. Compared to 45 in the same classes not operated on, who had an average of 74·56, the operative group is very slightly superior, 2·05 points.
Another study of pedagogical improvement, and a valuable contribution, is that reported by A. H. MacPhail in Pedagogical Seminary for June, 1920, entitled "Adenoids and Tonsils; a Study showing how the Removal of Enlarged or Diseased Tonsils affects a Child's Work in School."
"The children studied were pupils in the Adams and Cranch Schools. Only cases were considered where there was a record of ten school months before the date of the operation, and where there was a record for at least ten month after the operation. There were thirty-one cases in all.
"School records were looked up for the ten school months preceding operation, and for each school month subsequent—up to the date of leaving school, or in the case of children still in school, up to the date of the study. There were thus longer school records for some than for others.
"The history of each case was divided into periods of ten school months each. Eighteen cases had a record of twenty months after operation and eleven cases of thirty months.
"Comparing the first period after the operation with the period before, it is found that only about one-third showed improvement, and a little over half were doing poorer work. By comparing an average of all work done subsequent to the operation with what was done before, it became evident that improvement in school work is not often observed until after a year from the date of the operation."
In the cases that had records for twenty months, 16 show that better work was done in the second period after the operation than in the period before.