Karl Koenig: the Austrian refugee doctor who founded a worldwide movement in Scotland

Abstract

In this paper, the circumstances which led to the creation of the Camphill Movement in Scotland are described. Attention is drawn to the rejection by Dr Karl Koenig – co-founder of the Movement – of too narrow an approach to the treatment of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and his advocacy of a holistic approach. Koenig was one of the first medical practitioners in Britain to proclaim and demonstrate that all children with an intellectual disability, regardless of the severity of that disability, have a potential that can be unlocked and developed. There are now over 100 Camphill communities in more than 20 countries making it one of the largest independent providers of services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the world.