Nature's good for you: sir Truby King, Seacliff Asylum, and the greening of health care in New Zealand, 1889-1922

Abstract

Sir Frederic Truby King's work at Seacliff Asylum in New Zealand, between 1889 and 1922, illustrates a prominent role of agriculture in relationship to human health and the environment. King utilized farming practices, a rural setting, occupational therapy, dietary changes and moves towards self-sufficiency as examples of asylum management practices, but these also ensured patient health and well-being. In this article, we analyze King's practices at Seacliff as a genealogical precursor to today's green care and care farming movements.