Health

New Titles, tweeted: Chris picks some top new books

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Our selectors spot plenty of new and interesting titles as part of their work. Here are some titles that took the fancy of tweeting selector Chris:

A patient’s quarters at the Avon Pine Sanitorium at Wainoni on the New Brighton Road: Picturing Canterbury

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A patient’s quarters at the Avon Pine Sanitorium at Wainoni on the New Brighton Road. [22 Apr. 1904]. File Reference CCL PhotoCD 17, IMG0045.
The Avon Pine Sanitorium was established in 1904 on Professor Alexander William Bickerton‘s (1842-1929) land at Wainoni Park for fee-paying tubercular patients who were treated by the open-air method. It was formally opened by Sir Joseph Ward (1856-1930), then Minister of Public Health, and was under the charge of Dr. Cecil Greenwood (b. 1860/1861).

Do you have any photographs of Wainoni Park and its surrounding area? If so, feel free to contribute to our collection.

Kete Christchurch is a collection of photographs and stories about Christchurch and Canterbury, past and present. Anyone can join and contribute.

A bit of a stink

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image_proxySometimes in libraries we think about poo. Not necessarily because we want to but because our public toilets sometimes get blocked, sometimes books get Suspicious Stains on them, and sometimes we wonder how many royal toddler toilet training picture books there are…

And if you really think about it poo is quite important, and you certainly can’t escape it. So, I’ve been poking around a few of our resources to see what I can find about poo and sewage and other stinky things like that.

Searching on our catalogue the keyword ‘poo’ and the Official Subject Heading (we librarians do enjoy a good subject heading) ‘feces‘ finds a lot of children’s books – not unsuprisingly, but it also brings up entries from Access Video – an eResource featuring lots of fascinating documentaries – about sanitation in the developing world.

Sanitation has an interesting history in Christchurch. We’re all familiar with more recent issues in this area, which has been carefully documented by CEISMIC, however there’s a long history to explore.

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The Christchurch Drainage Board has a well documented history – so vital for a city built on a swamp – and according to John Wilson‘s Christchurch – Swamp to City Ōtautahi has ‘been the best drained and and most efficiently sewered city in the country’ (p11). The importance of pumping stations in the city has been recognised as part of the Architectural Heritage of Christchurch Series – reminding us that the functional doesn’t have to be ugly. Underground Overground Archaeology (I don’t think they employ any Wombles) has written a great overview of sanitation in Christchurch.

If you’ve ever wondered what the poo of our native wildlife looks like, then DigitalNZ is the website you need! Searching for ‘poo’ brings up a lot of helpful visuals to assist you in identifying that mystery turd, plus a positive plethora of poo-related media articles, research papers and videos.

I also had a look on Papers Past for poo related content. However the 19th century and first half of the 20th century were more conservative eras so ‘poo’ and ‘excrement’ don’t bring up a huge amounts of hits – although there is definitely content for those with an interest in public health. I’ve also found out about pakapoo – a Chinese lottery game brought to New Zealand by gold miners – and The Mikado.

Do you have any #codebrown stories you’d like to share? [Ed: we welcome the use of euphemisms for the benefit of those with delicate sensibilities]

Find  more

Podcast – Euthanasia

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Speak Up Kōrerotia logoChristchurch City Libraries blog hosts a series of regular podcasts from specialist human rights radio show Speak up – Kōrerotia. This show is created by Sally Carlton.

Euthanasia: It’s one of those topics that people seem to have an opinion on, whether they support it, don’t support it, or remain resolutely undecided. As New Zealand debates ACT MP David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill (the closing date for submissions is midnight on Tuesday, 06 March 2018), hear from advocates both for and against euthanasia and assisted dying.

Voices against euthanasia and assisted dying
– Jane Silloway Smith (Director, Every Life Research Unit): Overview
– Richard McLeod (Principal, McLeod and Associates): Legal arguments
– Dr Amanda Landers (Immediate Past Chair, Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine): Medical arguments
– Nuk Korako (National List MP, Port Hills): A Māori perspective

Voices for euthanasia and assisted dying
– Maryan Street (President, End-of-Life Choice Society NZ): Overview
– Andrew Butler (Litigation Partner, Russell McVeagh): Legal arguments
– Matt Vickers (husband of campaigner Lecretia Seales): Personal story

Transcript – Euthanasia

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Sanitoriums and Dust Jackets: Cool Stuff from the Selectors

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9780993191190Holidays in Soviet Sanitoriums

I couldn’t resist the title Holidays in Soviet Sanitoriums:

Holidays in the USSR were decidedly purposeful.  Their function was to provide rest and recreation, so citizens could return to work with renewed diligence and productivity

So, no lounging by the pool or sipping a pinacolada for these folk then?  The sanitoriums turned out to be a cross between a medical institution and a form of summer camp, complete with exercise regimes, edifying and educational talks, and strictly healthy but bland diets.

Many of these institutions have closed, some have become more like the western ideal of a spa complete with mud wraps and the like, while others have maintained their strict adherence to alternative forms of physical therapy.  For a fee, you can soak in crude oil, be wrapped in paraffin, wax, endure electrotherapy – or for the really adventurous, spend your summer vacation in a salt mine breathing in the pure minerals and sharing a curtained off dormitory area metres underground.

As well as the information about the therapies available, there is also fascinating insight into the architecture of the time with photographs alongside the interesting stories of the healing properties meted out in these unique institutions.

9780500519134The Illustrated Dust Jacket 1920-1970

I nearly always judge a book by its cover, it is an enticement…a taste of things to come, but I sometimes find myself  wondering if I have read a particular book as so many of the more recent book covers look very alike.

The covers in the era 1920-1970 were works of art in their own right.   Representing a variety of art styles from Art Deco, Modernism, postwar neo-romanticism and the intriguingly named Kitchen Sink School (Wikipedia tells me a form of social realism depicting the situations of the British working class), this book includes over 50 artists mainly from the US and the UK.  It is beautifully put together by the publishers Thames and Hudson and is a lovely book to dip into, both to read about the artists and to admire the beauty and detail of the covers.

Podcast – Issues affecting men

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Speak Up Kōrerotia logoChristchurch City Libraries blog hosts a series of regular podcasts from specialist human rights radio show Speak up – Kōrerotia. This show is created by Sally Carlton.

Sally talks with Donald Pettitt (Canterbury Men’s Centre), Iain Fergusson and Steve Carter (mental health advocates) about issues affecting men.
Part I: Campaigns to raise awareness of men’s issues; Why are men’s issues not often explicitly singled out in rights discussions?
Part II: Issues affecting men and their mental health outcomes
Part III: Systems that support men’s rights, and what is still needed

Transcript – Issues affecting men

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Cover of How not to be a boy Cover of The new manhood Cover of Building a better bloke Cover of Man up Cover of Now that you're out Cover of The mask of masculinity Cover of The stressed sex Cover of A-Z guide to men's health & wellbeing Cover of Man up Cover of Misframing menCover of What men don't talk about Cover of the life of Brian Cover of Suicide and Mental health Access Video logo Cover of The prostate Cover of Understanding the Family Court

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How not to ‘Halloween’…

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Love it or hate it, Halloween is upon us once again. Today it is a vastly different experience than the one that the Celts traditionally celebrated. For them it marked the reaping of the harvest, the end of summer and an opportunity for the dead to cross over to the living world and scare the daylights out of everyone. Sounds like great fun so far!

For us however, Halloween has become an attempt at recreating what is largely a Northern Hemisphere celebration – with Southern Hemisphere seasons, beliefs and inclination. And more often than not, if we try to emulate what we see on TV we are destined for disaster. So here is a cautionary tale of ‘How not to Halloween’. Sadly parts of this aren’t as fictional as I would like them to be.

CB249_PUMPKINS_JCKT_RVSDLet us think for a moment… the pumpkins will have only just been planted and won’t be ready until around Easter next year. So now we will have to attempt to carve something sourced from the local supermarket. We pick out a nice Crown pumpkin and overlook the insipid grey colour and lack of grandeur. Beggars can’t be choosers. All it needs is a scary face carved in it and a candle to highlight your excellent pumpkin cutting skills. You take your sharpest knife and start to cut the top off what is arguably the toughest skin on any vegetable available*.

image_proxy[1]After you get back from the doctor, you decide that it is probably wise to do away with the carved pumpkin as you can’t afford to lose the use of your other hand. You may still be able to salvage it as a Halloween decoration however, as it is now rather realistically covered in blood.

Meanwhile, your kids are dressed up in the scariest costumes you could find at the local Opportunity Shop and are already dreaming about the sheer weight of the lollies that they hope to get. They wonder momentarily if that pillowcase is going to be big enough.

Leaving Hubby home in charge of the lollies; you venture forth into the bright sunlight with a handful of ghosts and witches in tow for the trek around what you thought was a friendly neighbourhood. How wrong you were. You find yourself greeted by grouchy people who can’t even fake being nice for the kids. They love to point out the error of your ways for daring to try and experience what is largely an American custom. Others will wander openly around their living room while your kids knock on a door that will never open. Some will go to the trouble of putting out ‘No trick or treaters’ signs to save you the energy of knocking. I like these people. We each know where the other stands.

Cover of The Halloween encyclopedia

Of course it isn’t all doom and gloom. There is the occasional legend that will gush over the kids costumes and hand over a lolly or two. But after an hour and a half of what amounted to a crushing failure; we head home defeated. I console the kids with the fact that if we’re lucky, their dad won’t have eaten his way through the entire bowl of lollies at home. It has been a rather disappointing experience. The kids don’t understand why their Halloween bears little to no resemblance of the ones that they have seen on TV. Let’s be honest – it’s still won’t be dark for another hour or more.

When we get home we find that the only other people that have come around trick or treating were teenagers who didn’t bother to dress up. And when my daughter finds out that they made off with her plastic skeleton that I’d propped next to the ‘bloody’ pumpkin; she probably won’t forgive me.

Cover of Halloween book of fun

I know that there are houses somewhere that are re-enacting their version of Halloween – I’ve seen the lollies disappearing from the shops. Maybe next year I’ll save myself some time and heartache and just ask them where they live. At least then we can be assured of a guaranteed result!

So if your kids are begging you to join into Halloween this year, you think you can avoid these amateur mistakes and you are looking to earn some easy brownie points; here are some books to help you achieve this.

Cover of Halloween activitiesCover of Halloween crafts Cover of Ghoulish get-ups Cover of Twisted cakes Cover of Trick or treat

Or try our –

And safety first!

*Try softening the pumpkin in the microwave first. I may have learned this the hard way!

Reading in Mind for Mental Health

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This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 October).

The 2012/13 New Zealand Health Survey reported that one in every six New Zealanders have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder at a point in their lives. The report also highlights a link between mental illness and poor physical health: mental disorders are the third highest cause of health loss in New Zealand. Chances are, you or someone you know has suffered from mental illness at some stage.

There is a wealth of information out there on mental health. It can be difficult to separate the good advice from the bad, the relevant from the not so.

With this in mind, a team of health professionals and librarians have created the Reading in Mind scheme. The scheme has sprung from a partnership between Pegasus Health, Christchurch City Libraries, the Mental Health Education Resource Centre and HealthInfo Canterbury/Waitaha.

Cover of Anxious kids, anxious parentsCover of Coping with Obsessive-Compulsive disorderCover of The mindful way through anxietyCover of Anger management for everyoneCover of We need to talk about griefCover of When someone you love is addicted to alcohol or drugs

The Reading in Mind scheme promotes the many benefits of reading for health and well-being, and really takes the hassle and doubt of choosing reading material for mental health issues. The scheme suggests a wide range of resources – including books, audiobooks and eBooks – on various topics including alcoholism, grief and divorce. Whilst nothing can replace the sound advice from your doctor or health care professional, it is a resource which can be used to assist with managing and treating mild to moderate mental health disorders. It is suitable for all ages and backgrounds.

Browse the Reading in Mind lists on the library catalogue.

Get active and make the most of the warmer weather with sports and activities, clubs for older adults and walks in and around Christchurch.

Here are some other health related resources to check out:

Things that matter: Dr David Galler in conversation with Glenn Colquhoun – WORD Christchurch Shifting Points of View

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As part of WORD Christchurch’s Shifting Points of View sessions of the Christchurch Arts Festival, Dr David Galler talked to poet and fellow medicine-man Glenn Colquhoun about Things that matter.

Dr David Galler is a specialist intensive care doctor at Middlemore Hospital and he spoke to a fully engaged audience on Saturday evening about the things that matter in regards to health and wellbeing. Galler spoke of how communities need to support each other to fight against illness and disease. Treatments need to be holistic, with the approach of what is good for the environment is also good for our health.

David spoke about his life, growing up with Jewish parents and the effects that his parents’ history has had on his own life.

He takes his role as doctor very seriously and has a strong social conscience evident in his manner and through his stories of life and death from “things that matter”.

The conversations were at times serious and provided the audience with many more questions than answers.

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Interviews with David Galler

WORD Christchurch Shifting Points of View

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Podcast – Discussing Autism

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Speak Up Kōrerotia logoChristchurch City Libraries blog hosts a series of regular podcasts from specialist human rights radio show Speak up – Kōrerotia. This show is created by Sally Carlton.

Broadcast during Autism Awareness Week, this panel discussion touches on the following topics –

  • Part I: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? What do we know about the causes?
  • Part II: Challenges for people with ASD and their families: school, funding, stigma
  • Part III: Positives of ASD including strong personal interests
  • Part IV: Supports available, key messages for educators, parents and society, increasing awareness through media and other means

Sally Carlton, co-host Mallory Quail (Autism NZ) and guests Bridget Carter (mother of two children on the ASD spectrum), Robyn Young (Regional Educator, Autism NZ) and Dean Sutherland (Department of Communication Disorders, University of Canterbury)

 

Transcript – Discussing Autism

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Cover of Autism All-stars Cover of Understanding autism Cover of Awakened by autism Cover of Neurotribes  Cover of The complete autism handbook Cover of School success for kids with high-functioning autism Cover of The game of my life Cover of Life on the Autism spectrum: A guide for girls and women

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