"A mosaic mystery told in vignettes, cliffhangers, curious asides, and
some surreal plot twists as Raffel investigates the secrets of the man
who changed infant care in America."--NPR, 2018's Great Reads
What kind of doctor puts his patients on display? This is the
spellbinding tale of a mysterious Coney Island doctor who revolutionized
neonatal care more than one hundred years ago and saved some seven
thousand babies. Dr. Martin Couney's story is a kaleidoscopic ride
through the intersection of ebullient entrepreneurship, enlightened
pediatric care, and the wild culture of world's fairs at the beginning
of the American Century.
As Dawn Raffel recounts, Dr. Couney used incubators and careful nursing
to keep previously doomed infants alive, while displaying these babies
alongside sword swallowers, bearded ladies, and burlesque shows at Coney
Island, Atlantic City, and venues across the nation. How this
turn-of-the-twentieth-century émigré became the savior to families with
premature infants--known then as "weaklings"--as he ignored the scorn of
the medical establishment and fought the rising popularity of eugenics
is one of the most astounding stories of modern medicine. Dr. Couney,
for all his entrepreneurial gusto, is a surprisingly appealing
character, someone who genuinely cared for the well-being of his tiny
patients. But he had something to hide...
Drawing on historical documents, original reportage, and interviews with
surviving patients, Dawn Raffel tells the marvelously eccentric story of
Couney's mysterious carnival career, his larger-than-life personality,
and his unprecedented success as the savior of the fragile wonders that
are tiny, tiny babies.
A New York Times Book Review New & Noteworthy Title
A Real Simple Best Book of 2018
Christopher Award-winner
