# What are the tonsils?

The the tonsils is called the palatine tonsils. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a pair of oval masses of lymphoid tissue.

## What it means

- A pair of oval masses of lymphoid tissue.
- Part of the ring of lymphoid tissue guarding the entrance to the throat.
- Help mount immune responses to airborne and swallowed material.

## Action steps

1. On each side of the back of the mouth.
2. Between the two folds (the palatine arches) at the back of the throat.
3. Visible on either side when the mouth is opened wide.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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