EB books and illness/convalescing/quarantine periods?

[minim]

From memory the twins at St Clares play tennis with a girl who comes down with something nasty? This means they go back to school late?

That's Summer Term, and their friend comes down with mumps, meaning the twins have to be in quarantine for a bit into the term. It's not really part of the plot, unlike in Third Year at Malory Towers, where both Sally and Betty are off at the beginning of term, leading to friction with Alicia and Sally.

[Icecream342]

In Malory Towers, Bill, Sally, Amanda, Mavis, June and Betty are ill, have to go to school 1 or more day(s) late or have to go into the san.

In the Family Colection, The children have Benji to stay for the summer hols and Mike and Belinda and anne have whooping cough

[pete9012S]

The healthiest kids in Blyton world?

This thread brought to mind that The Secret Seven seemed to enjoy very good health compared to all the other series characters.

Did the Secret Seven get sick, convalesce, have to quarantine etc etc?

Perhaps the fear of displeasing their easy going, laugh a minute leader made them too frit to be sick!

[Lenoir]

I remember Colin or George getting a cold in one of the books, probably due to one of their late night escapades.

[pete9012S]

Thank you Lenoir - I assume there would be no value in a Secret Seven plotline for one of them to be ill.

Didn't they help people who were ill from time to time I seem to remember - perhaps in one of the short stories too??

*Edited for atrocious grammar

[Debbie]

Quarantine/illness is basically an excuse for them to either arrive back at boarding school late or have a holiday going away to get better.
And doesn't George have to join her cousins late for one adventure because she's got a bad cold (Have a wonderful time?) I think, having not read that one for ages, that is to allow her to overhear about the scientists that have gone missing.

For the Secret Seven, they're at day school, so the only reason for them having illness would be to remove one of them from the plot. They could have used it to remove Peter (a bit like Nancy in Winter Holiday/Arthur Ransome) to change the dynamics, but I think the books are perhaps a bit short.

I think doctors should still recommend a holiday by the sea after a long illness.

[Lenoir]

Yes, and if you live by the sea you get a holiday in the mountains of Wales and the bracing mountain air acts as a tonic!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm always amused by the doctor's recommendation in The Ring O' Bells Mystery, after the children have had 'flu: "The doctor says somewhere inland, but not too low - and somewhere fairly warm." It sounds very specific. I wonder to what extent particular kinds of terrain were matched with particular illnesses.

[pete9012S]

Very interesting Anita.

Five Get Into A Fix says:

“Will they be well enough to go to school, Doctor?” asked Mrs. Barnard anxiously.
“Well, yes - they would - but they ought to get rid of
those coughs first,” said the doctor. He looked out of the window at the snow. “I wonder now - no - I don’t suppose it’s possible - but...”

“But what?” said Dick, pricking up his ears at once. “Going to send us to Switzerland for a skiing holiday, Doc? Fine! Absolutely smashing! ”

The doctor laughed. “You’re going too fast! ” he said. “No - I wasn’t actually thinking of Switzerland - but perhaps somewhere hilly, not far from the sea. Somewhere really bracing, but not too cold - where the snow will lie, so that you can toboggan and ski, but without travelling as far as Switzerland. Switzerland is expensive, you know!”

“Yes. I suppose it is,” said Julian. “No - we can’t expect a holiday in Switzerland just because we’ve had beastly colds! But I must say a week somewhere would be jolly nice!”

[Inspector Jenks]

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking “best doctor EVER” on reading “Fix” for the first time, and being hugely jealous of this “prescription”!

[Jack400]

Has any doctor ever even thought that, let alone recommend, a holiday in a cold/snowy place for people who are recovering from colds or coughs was a good idea? Sounds like he should be struck off!

[Moonraker]

Not to me. I can remember asking my mother when I was aged about 7 why I couldn't go to the sea for a week or two following a bout of flu!