From the Archives, June 11, 2017

Sunday Medical Recheck, 1960s

Long before the Ten Day Out meeting, Sunday check-ins were a rather involved process. Troops arrived when they felt like it any time after 1pm (sometimes earlier) and there were no solid pre-counts on numbers for merit badges or campsites. It could be a bear.

One of the parts of check in that has disappeared is the medical re-check. At least as far back as the Narrows of the Harpeth Boxwell, Scouts have been required to have a medical form when they came to camp. By the 1960s, camp also had a medical re-check component: an on-site once over when you arrive before you went to go swim.

This photo is of one such re-check at Camp Stahlman. Scouts are getting a quick check-up before going on to take the swim test on the waterfront (also done for everyone on Sunday at the time). One of the neat components to this was that Scouts were given salt tablets to take during the week. Why? Because the thought was you lost so much salt through sweat you were more likely to cramp; the tablet would fix that problem.

Medical Recheck

Scouts getting a quick re-check before going to take their swim test. Sundays were busy!

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