On this episode of Our American Stories, when crowds wandered through Coney Island in the early twentieth century, they expected oddities, tricks, and performers who lived on the edge of spectacle. What they did not expect were rows of premature infants resting inside newly designed infant incubators. The exhibit belonged to Dr. Martin Couney, a man who operated far from traditional medical circles yet devoted his life to caring for babies who had almost no chance of survival anywhere else.

His work unfolded in a setting that looked more like entertainment than medicine, but it forced the public to confront ideas that the established medical community had been slow to accept. Author Dawn Raffel traces how Couney’s unusual path ended up shaping medical innovations that would define modern neonatal care.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, when crowds wandered through Coney Island in the early twentieth century, they expected oddities, tricks, and performers who lived on the edge of spectacle. What they did not expect were rows of premature infants resting inside newly designed infant incubators. The exhibit belonged to Dr. Martin Couney, a man who operated far from traditional medical circles yet devoted his life to caring for babies who had almost no chance of survival anywhere else.
His work unfolded in a setting that looked more like entertainment than medicine, but it forced the public to confront ideas that the established medical community had been slow to accept. Author Dawn Raffel traces how Couney&rsquo;s unusual path ended up shaping medical innovations that would define modern neonatal care.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

The Coney Island Sideshow That Rewrote Neonatal Medicine

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9f822cf8-e81c-45cf-a314-b3a9000ab76f/transcript

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