Conclusion

The contribution of this research to the historiography of nursing is significant. It illustrates how the nursing culture of the 1950s and 1960s constructed the position of the child patient hierarchically and institutionally in a context in which obedience, control, and the restriction of information were—to a considerable degree—accepted and even normative practices. Examining these experiences is important because it reveals the historical coexistence of care and discipline: The hospital was not merely a place of healing but also an educational and moral system in which childhood was defined through rules and power. Bringing patient experiences into historical scholarship produces ethical memory and corrects the dominant narrative of medical progress by making visible the cost of care for those who lived it.

Future research must explore how childhood treatment experiences are reflected in later life trajectories, engagement with health services, and identity formation and identify the specific nursing interventions that prevent the harmful psychological sequelae of care. Research on polio survivors’ long-term adaptation has shown that the strategies developed in childhood, such as optimistic thinking and trust in one’s ability to manage, can remain useful in later life. At the same time, the historical experiential perspective offers healthcare a critical mirror: Understanding the practices of the past helps identify the vulnerable structures of contemporary systems. Research of this kind is therefore not merely a description of the past but essential knowledge for building more human, participatory, and holistic care. It is also possible that the treatment experiences in childhood are reflected in later life phases, influencing how individuals relate to healthcare, seek care, and experience trust in healthcare professionals and the healthcare system.