LIGHT AND HEALING.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19690, 6 August 1929, Page 11

LIGHT AND HEALING.

the treloar hospital AT ALTON. ISPECIJLM.T '.viUiTEX FOB THX JRESS.) [By Cob a Wilding.] 11. Ou a widely stretching, open green space, gaily decked for must of the year with wild flowers, is set down the Treloar Hospital at Alton, the pioneer children's hospital for artificial and natural light treatment in Eng'and. It looks down over fields and magnificent beech woods, for which Hampshire is famous, and over downy country, rolling away for thirty miles, to the south coast. The hospital consists of a series of long wooden hutments originally built for convalescent soldiers wounded in the South African war from the '"Daily Mail's" "Absent-Minded Beggar" Fund. How these hutments became transformed into children's wards, each with its own solarium for sun and open air treatment, and also with a finely equipped light department, is due to the dream of one man—Sir William Treloar. As a lad of fifteen, Treloar had entered his father's carpet factory at Southwark. He must have seen manV neglected crippled children, as Southwark is one of London's poorest districts. Later, when he became a Magistrate, the misery of tiny children, many under ten years of age and crippled for want of treatment, whom big policemen brought before him on icy winter mornings charged with the crime of wandering, first inspired Treloar to dream of helping crippled children.

Eventually in 1906 T.reloar became Lord Mayor of London He then launched his crusade, to obtain funds for the accomplishment of his dream. The Press gav;e him splendid support. Everyone from Queen Alexandra to the hawkers of penny toys on Ludgate Hill, helped forward this campaign. On one day alone Treloar would speak from a pulpit, then from above the footlights of a vaudeville-variety entertainment, still later on from the prizering of a pugilist club. Everywhere Sir William succeeded in touching that common chord in human nature which responds to the suffering of children. Entirely from private subscriptions, the required sum was eventually raised and the hospital placed, by experienced business men, on a solid financial basis.

On a certain day every July the founders in a big. body visit the hospital. Founders' Day is a red letter day to every child. A new and very large scarlet bow adorns the hair of each croud little girl; and is there not a brass band and kind visitors who bring toys ? Great are the preparations; each splint is given a fresh cover and each child wears new clothes. To the ward sister Founders' Day is not unalloyed pleasure. In spite of her watchful eye, tiny, immaculately clean children receive toffee and chocolates. It is astonishing the havoc worked in a few seconds by tiny sticky hands on white flannel and snowy sheets. A tree is always planted and the oak put in by Queen Alexandra on the 1912 Founders' Day has become a sturdy sapling; while those planted by the youthful Duke and Duchess of York soon after their marriage are also flourishing. There are three hawthorns planted on the 1923 Founders' Day by three patriarchs. The Father of the Corporation of the City of London, the late Sir William Treloar, planted one; the Father of the House of Lords, the Earl of Coventry, put in the second; while the Father of the House of Commons, Mr T. P. O'Connor, planted the third. This year Mr O'Connor, a staunch supporter of Alton from the beginning, was unable to come, and one of the sisters remarked: "It does not seem like Founders' Day without dear old T.P. making a speech and giving us all a good laugh." A hospital may be well founded, it may be well equipped, but it is_ those at the head who give the inspiration to the staff and set the standard of the work. Sir William Treloar's most marked characteristics were his courtesv and his kindliness to all, also his cheeriness. When Sir William chose the medical superintendent and matron it is clear that he _ sought and found these same qualities, besides energy and initiativeness in those he put in charge. Dr. Ganvain, now Sir Henry Gauvain, has achieved an international reputation in light treatment. Miss Robertson, the matron, has built up the domestic administration. and the great efficiency with which Alton is run has made it famous. Many trained sisters take the housekeeping course to fit themselves for future matronships. No detail that adds to the comfort of the staff is too small for the matron to attend to. She is always ready to make improvements by trying out new ideas, and so the highest possible efficiency is reached. Both she and Sir Henry much wished to experiment with sea bathing in conjunction with the Alton treatment. Eventually an annexe at Hayling, quite close to Bognor, was opened, and has proved a very valuable accessory. There is a constant interchange between the three hundred children at Alton and the fifty at Hayling. The long white pavilion at Hayling with red tiled roof and bright green doors and shutters, is built about ten yards above high water mark. Every morning porters drive in five foot iron stakes, and then put .out a net about fifty yards long. In the sea thus netted off the children are perfectly safe to bathe and swim. Then comes the turn of the cot cases. One at a time they are placed in a net hammock stretcher, caried down into the sea, and dipped. Sailboats often pass close in with the ! sun turning their sails a dazzling white i or brilliant vermilion, sometimes a glowing brownv orange. The tugs travelling between Portsmouth and Chichester pass within a stone's throw of the pavilion, and should the foghorn : not be blown the captain is eagerly reminded of the fact by fifty united voices. The moment the foghorn ! ceases every child shouts at the top of his or her voice "Thank you." The children love Hayling, and the benefit derived from the change and the sea-bathing has more than fulfilled its originators' most sanguine hopes. In addition to the children's hospital with its seaside annexe, there is also m the Alton grounds under the same management, though quite apart from tho hospital, a training school for crippled lads over the age of fourteen. Here, besides lessons, they are taught a trade, bootmaking, tailoring, or trunk making. With this sound training, there is no difficulty in their finding a job when they leave. There is a cricket and football ground and the boys are most enthusiastic over both games. Their cricket captain this year has a peg-leg, but that does not prevent his being a very tine wicket-keeper. The agile little hunchback misses a catch, and the boy fielding at point, evidently finds his orutcn most efficient with which to stop balls. When he goes m to bat, he simply drops his crutches and uses the bat Last seitson when some medical students from Bart, s visited Alton, the crippled boys issued a challenge. The remarks about letting the boys down easilv met with a prompt negative from one who knew the boys' play. The match resulted in a decisive win for the home teamWhile the boys at the training oolleg« *ll quiescent eases, only cau-

dren with active disease are admitted into the actual hospital. The treatment of these small children, for none is admitted over twelve years of age, though they may stay on over that age, consists, apart from medical care, in occupational therapy. There are twenty teachers for the three hundred children. It is a joy to watch tiny children putting gaily coloured wool through cardboard rings in the process of making a coloured ball; or their concentration when working a raffia pattern on a strip of canvas. The older children have lessons in the morning, and handicraft work in the afternoon, when the girls work at embroidery, china painting, or plain sewing, and the boys basketry, leather, or woodwork. Beside occupation and a plentiful diet another vital factor of the Alton cure is sunlight and fresh air. It is not enough for the child to be merely out-of-doors, but it is necessary for the skin of his whole body to be exposed. This exposure, though, at first must be watched and very carefullv graduated. Sir Henry lays great emphasis on the benefit, apart from actual sunlight, derived from the action of fresh air playing on the skin. The costume worn by the Alton children in warm weather is restricted to a large sun hat, diminutive bathers, and shoes. The great majority of children who enter the hospital gates pass out later completely cured. The remainder, with very few exceptions, are greatly alleviated. Certain cases hitherto confined to bed, have special splints and supports devised which enable the child to get about. Thus the dream of a great humanitarian became realised, and to every cripoled child who enters the Lord Mayor Treloar Hbspital, a chance is given.