SUMMARYThis article examines three disorders, asthma, epilepsy and diabetes, suggesting that they have certain common features, being constitutional in origin, having periods of exacerbation with overt physical symptoms, requiring maintenance drug treatment and being potentially life‐threatening. Their effects upon personality, in particular in relation to social and educational failure, are outlined and the role of boarding school in the treatment of children so affected is described, together with criteria for selection for such treatment. The tendency towards entrenched attitudes in regard to boarding school is deprecated, preventing its consideration as a positive form of treatment for a small group of vulnerable childre