A study of 140 children was made before and after tonsillectomy to determine the incidence of behavior changes indicative of emotional trauma.A method of procedure, presented in earlier papers, is briefly described. The difficulties and problems of this type of research are evaluated. The limitations of the research method in proving the presence or absence of emotional trauma are acknowledged.Findings were: 1. Thirteen children presented behavior changes indicative of emotional trauma. 2. Children treated with consideration for emotional factors gave less evidence of trauma. 3. Children who had suffered previous emotional trauma reacted less well to this experience. 4. Younger children showed more but milder adverse behavior changes. 5. The large majority, 91%, seemed either benefited by or were scarcely affected by the experience.
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