gilly you have reminded me of a similar experience. I was younger, 5 I would say, for some reason the children's ward was in the basement. My parents had to leave me at the door and I was told if I cried they wouldn't come back. I was terrified. I can still remember the smell and the darkness at night. As you say, barbaric. I was given a Muffin the Mule puppet by my parents when they collected me. I don't know where it went, which is a sadness. I had lived in a very isolated spot until I was five, hardly saw another child, then moved to a busy town and began school, of course I caught every illness it was possible to catch. I was away from school so much. My teacher used to come to the house and bring me school books and exercises to do while I was in bed. I didn't mind, in fact loved it. I wonder if that would happen now or would my parents just be in trouble for all the absences?