[Nursing care of child: short retrospection]

This study focuses on the overview of the childhood health policy, highlighted in the context of a hospital, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, aiming at describing the nursing assistance provided to children in hospitals in the first half of the century. It is a historical study, the primary written sources of which correspond to articles published in the Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem during the period under scrutiny. The secondary sources are made up of literature relevant to the topic. In the beginning of the 20th century, health care loses its social and philanthropic character to be subsidized by the government. Concerning childhood assistance, numerous hospitals opened in the 30's and 40's, even though the national healthcare policy was based on preventive actions. It may be concluded that childhood assistance up to the 50's was characterized by technical and scientific transformations in the hospital scenario, encouraging the construction of nursing knowledge in the area of paediatrics.