Originally prepared for the opening address of a seminar on child abuse and neglect held in Sydney on September 24, 1980, the aim of this discussion paper is to give a very brief picture of the conditions and life patterns of children from the Middle Ages into the twentieth century. The focus of the historical review is mainly on British children because Australia was settled as a British colony and many Australian traditions stem from colonial days. A brief "catalogue of disaster" reflecting the harsh social conditions under which families in general and children in particular had to suffer is presented in order to emphasize that it becomes very hard to draw the line between ideas of abuse and neglect in the present and normal treatment in the past. Emphasis is also given to the fact that in the past different treatment received by children was based on underlying, opposing views of the nature of a new baby. Attention is given to the historical development of articles of legislation protecting British children. Concluding paragraphs discuss the social conditions of childhood in Australia and indicate some of the problems of childhood (such as violence against children and unscrupulous advertising) in the context of the so-called child-centered twentieth century. (Author/RH)