Historical Perspectives

Abstract

Among the many interesting, if bizarre, chapters in neonatal history, the one that ranks on top is the story of preterm baby sideshows, which were organized by Dr Martin Couney (Fig 1), starting in 1896 and continuing for 40 years. This article traces the origins and growth of the baby shows, with a perspective on their effect on contemporary neonatal practice and a reflection on the boundaries between propaganda, publicity, public education, and service. Figure 1. Presumed photograph of the young Martin Couney from the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, 1901. At the time of the French Revolution, the infant death rate in France was well over 50%. Alarmed by this crisis, the Revolutionary Council enacted a decree in 1789 proclaiming that the working-class parents “have a right to the nation's succors at all times,” (1) heralding reforms toward making the country an idealistic welfare state. France also began collecting national vital statistics, becoming one of the first countries to do so. Despite these efforts, due to continued high infant mortality and declining birthrates, negative population growth continued through much of the 19th century. This led to an unexpected consequence of shortages of men enlisting into the army. As France was engaged in several battles with Prussia and other neighbors, a thinning army was highly worrisome. A series of measures were taken to improve maternal and neonatal care and to reduce child mortality, (2)(3) and young parents were urged to uphold their patriotism and bear “more children to man the future armies.” What an irony that such noble intentions as saving babies had to be motivated by the brutal needs for manning the armies! According to a popular story, Stephane Tarnier, a highly respected French obstetrician, was so inspired by the optimal …