I
Duke University
Medical Center
Intercom
VOL. 25, NO. 32
AUG. 11, 1978
DURHAM, N.C.
Diabetic children have fun, learn at camp
By John Becttm
It's summertime and that means time
for going off to camp for many
youngsters.
But what if a child has diabetes
meliitus?
Again, it's the camping season for more
than 200 North and South Carolina
children with diabetes.
What do diabetic children do at camp?
Just what one expects to do at camp:
swimming, canoeing, fishing, various
sports, etc. It depends more on personal
interest than on one's medical condition.
And along with standard camping
activities, children with diabetes have the
opportunity to learn more about their
condition from staff made up of
physicians, nurses and other health
professionals and students.
Camping and more
The main objectives of the Carolinas'
Camp for Diabetic Children (CCDC),
according to director Dr. George J. Ellis
III, are to provide an enjoyable, safe and
healthy recreational camping experience
for children with diabetes and to help
them learn more about their disorder,
how to adjust to it, how to control it and
how to maintain independence and self-
discipline in their approach to it and to
life.
In addition, "this experience is designed
to educate health professionals and
students about the disease and to help
them make observations about diabetes
in children," Ellis, an assistant professor
of medicine, said.
Since 1920s
The idea of specialized summer camps
for diabetic children goes back to the
1920s and the discovery of insulin.
The impetus for CCDC came from a
resident of Greenville, S.C., named Adam
Fisher, whose daughter had attended a
camp for diabetic children in another
state.
Really new shop
location opens
The Nearly New Shoppe has a "really
new" location.
A ribbon->cutting ceremony, scheduled
for 9:45 this morning, marks the official
opening of the new shop at 615 Douglas
St., behind the Hilton Inn.
A project of the Medical School Faculty
Wives, the Nearly New Shoppe provides
funds for medical student scholarships—
more than $300,000 worth over the past
10 years.
The shop was opened in 1969 at 1801
Erwin Rd., but has since outgrown the
original quarters.
Fisher's efforts resulted in the
establishment of the CCDC in 1968, with
Dr. Harry K. Delcher, former fellow in
endocrinology at Duke, as medical
director.
Fisher also was able to enlist the
support of the North Carolina Diabetes
Association (NCDA) and helped establish
the Greenville Lay Society, which became
the founding unit of the South CaroUna
Diabetes Association (SCDA).
Tripled in size after first year
In 1968, the Carolinas' Camp for
Diabetic Children had 19 campers. The
following summer, the camp had moved
to Eagle's Nest Camp near Pisgah Forest
and drew 65 campers.
As he left for Eagle's Nest last week,
Ellis said 135 camjTers are enrolled for the
session which began this past Sunday.
"And this session is sponsored solely by
the NCDA," Ellis said. "We had about 100
campers at an earlier session sponsored
by the SCDA."
Cabin clinicians
A cabin clinician in each cabin of 10 to
12 children provides instruction in and
' supervision of insulin administration,
(Continued on page 4)
^ 5^ H
7
CONGRATULATIONS — Dr. E. Harvey Estes (left), professor and chairman of the Department of
Community and Family Medicine, presents a certificate and congratulations to Edward Gaile,
during the Physician's Associate Program graduation ceremony. Gaile, who spoke at the event,
was co-winner with Kenda Hills of the Richard J. Scheele Award for outstanding performance.
For the story, see page 3.
From Munich
to Durham
for treatment
One of the one-in-five Duke Hospital
patients from outside North Carolina
recently came from halfway around the
world.
And because of the special nature of the
treatment he was to receive, his physician
came with him to observe the procedure
firsthand.
Klaus Morlein, from Munich, West
Germany, underwent surgery on July 31,
for Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)
syndrome, a relatively rare congenital
heart defect. The defect causes a
malfunction which doctors here have
described as "a short-circuit that by
passes the normal electrical system of the
heart."
Extra connection
Persons with WPW have an extra piece
of heart muscle connecting chambers of
the heart. This extra connection permits
the heart's electrical impulses to move too
quickly, disrupting the regular rhythm of
the heart. Drugs can control the episodes
in some patients, while surgery is
required for others.
The treatment Morlein underwent
here is a complicated, cooperative
program involving many physicians,
technicians and others who pool their
efforts in each WPW case.
A surgical technique for correcting the
syndrome was developed at Duke by Dr.
Will C. Sealy, professor of thoracic
(Continued on page 3)