PEDIATRICIAN MUST CREATE "JOIE
DE VIVRE" FOR CHILDREN ANY TIME AND ANYWHERE
Kobayashi
N
Professor
Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
President
Emeritus, National Children's Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Our members of IPA, who attended
the ICP in Paris in 1989, can recall the plenary lecture given by Prof.
Monkeberg on the significance of "joie de vivre" for treatment of
children with malnutrition. In
addition, everyone attending here knows the maternal or emotional
deprivation syndrome, causing failure in growth and development due to lack
of love and tender care.
However, we have to realize that
there is a scientific basis for "joie de vivre", that is, in
neuro-psycho-endocrinology as other branches of medicine.
We are fortunate to have various
means at present to make children feel the "joy of playing" and
"joy of living", so that "joie de vivre", in addition
to the classical sources such as music, painting and also schooling, can be
supplemented by applying "Virtual Reality" and other IT technology. Thus children, even though
suffering from serious intractable diseases, and admitted to hospital, can
enjoy visiting zoological gardens, skiing and other pastimes as well as
taking classes in their native schools within the hospital, or even at the
bed-side, by means of virtual reality technology.
So, you can now create "joie
de vivre" any time and anywhere for the children under your care.