HEALTH CAMPS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 105, 30 October 1935, Page 5

HEALTH CAMPS

WORK AT OTAKI

BENEFIT TO CHILDREN

NEED ¥011 EXPANSION

An interesting outline of health camp work was given to members of the Wellington Rotary Club by Dr. Helen Bakewell yesterday. Dr. Bakewell stressed the value of sunlight, fresh air, regular hours, and freedom from worry and said there was need for an extension of the treatment, particularly in the case of malnutrition. The president of the club, Mr. Gray Young, presided and the speaker was introduced by Dr. H. E. Gibbs, chairman of the Health Camp ■ Association. • Dr. Bakewell said the health camp was a practical illustration of preventive work. ; The simple life was a preventive medicine in itself. She referred to early experiments with air and sunlight treatment which were commenced by Dr. A. Rollier in Switzerland in 1903 and were placed on a firm footing: in- 1910 when. Dr.' Rollier's "School.in the Sun" was founded. The children sent to this school were not diseased; its objective was prevention. During . the twenty-five years since the school was opened it had been studied and imitated. In New Zealand.Dr. Elizabeth Gunn opened the first health camp in 1920 and since, then .the movement had spread. Wellington made a start in 1925 under difficult conditions, , the camp chosen being flooded by the Jiutt River.. In 1926 the camp was taken to Levin where there were sonic old military shelters. There were minor troubles there, mainly in the culinary department, where there was a temperamental Irish cook. The Otaki site was secured byy gift in 1930 and the present building transfererd from Rotorua. Otaki had the first '.permanent health camp in New Zealand, as finance had limited others to the. summer months. Otaki represented a real "School in the Sun." ■ : CAMP AND HOME. It was essential'that the life in the camp should not. be divorced from home life and every effort was made to give the children what they could get jn their own homes. The air and sunlight, were the most important part of the treatment. In the summer-the children Jived outside and in the winter they were out every day. The beach was a great joy and the chii-.

dren never wanted to go anywhere : else. Because they liked it Jtijiever ' got monotonous and. they wpuld go < on digging holes " and , tuilding sand castles day alter das. Rest and sleep, were insisted upon and they were largely responsible for tlhc improvement in health. The.-'^afT was inclined to blame the home ipv chil <iren going to bed late, but tlie home was not always to blame; Elest, contentment, and mental peace .were very important, and when parenl^j were anxious and worried their unrest was transferred to the children and was liable to affect their health. ,l|he camp stafl" did its best to remove ail jihat*an<:l countered the inevitable..nostalgia by keeping the children occupied! and in-1 terested. i For children who were recovering from illnesses the health .cadnp was a triumphant success. It restored the necessary sparkle to them arid! enabled them to return to school woijjk. again. Cases of malnutrition re'spohcied readily, but unfortunately these jchildren had' to return to the financial conditions that had led to their debility; Then there were cases of queer mental tricks performed by .children through the effects of ill; health.'. Dr. Bakewell quoted the case of fa. child who ate soap- when vexed, and said this peculiarity had been . cured, by treatment in the camp. - ; ': ■ Results were good generally and there were only a few failurcjs. Thesa failures were individual ones !and not of the system. In every.'.'^ay: the camp was well worth while ■ . In conclusion Dr. Bakewell Eaid that whatever factors led to ill health, the fault was not the child's and'the effort to keep the camps going wa| cne that should be given every assistrtneei