Coney Island

There weren't always NICU’s, there weren't always specialized doctors and nurses, and there weren't incubators to help premature babies grow into healthy, happy adults. In fact, in the early 1900s, despite advances in the medical field, many people didn't even believe that teeny tiny babies could live healthy, happy lives. One New York doctor focused on creating a sterilized environment for premature babies. Despite the successful medical trials of 33-year-old Dr. Martin Couney, the scientific community was still hesitant to implement his experimental “incubators” in hospitals around the country.

Dr. Couney knew that in order to equip hospitals with his new discovery, he would need public exposure--a lot of public exposure. Eventually he was approached by a showman named Frederick Thompson and it wasn't long before Thompson convinced the doctor to open a sideshow at Luna Park on Coney Island.

That summer Couney opened up the baby incubator exhibit. Coney Island boasted the arrival of thousands of daily visitors. For $.25 visitors could walk among teeny tiny babies and marvel at the possible ways to save them. Not everybody was impressed with the exhibit though. The Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children soon launched an official investigation into the exhibit by arguing that the children were being abused and exploited. The doctor’s response was that he was providing a free hospital. The children had nowhere else to go if they wanted to survive. After some back and forth, Brooklyn dropped the investigation.

The exhibit ran for the next four decades and is credited with saving over 6000 lives. It was Coney Island's longest running exhibit but after 40 years when incubators were available in numerous hospitals, Couney closed the exhibit.