Martin Couney -The Man Who Saved Babies

Born: 1869, Krotoszyn, Prussia (now Poland).
Died: March 1, 1950, Coney Island, New York, U.S.A.

Martin Couney saved over 6,000 premature babies by showcasing incubators at fairs and amusement parks, paving the way for modern neonatal care.

Born Michael Cohn or Cohen in 1869 in what is now Poland, Martin helped save the lives of over 6,000 premature babies during his lifetime. Even though many people doubted his background and training, his work with incubators changed the future of neonatal care and gave premature babies a fighting chance.

As a young man, Couney left Europe for England and later moved to the United States. He often changed his name along the way, finally becoming known as Martin Couney. While he claimed to have studied medicine in Germany and worked with a famous doctor named Pierre Budin, no official documents have ever been found to prove this. Still, he seemed to know a lot about premature babies and how to care for them. He also worked with French nurses, including one trained in Paris, who helped care for babies in his early shows.

Couney believed in the power of incubators, special heated beds that could help tiny babies survive outside the womb. But in the early 1900s, most hospitals didn’t use incubators, and many doctors thought premature babies were too weak to save. Couney saw things differently. He believed these babies deserved a chance to live, and he was willing to prove it.

Since hospitals didn’t want to support his work, Couney decided to show his incubators at amusement parks and world fairs. His first big display was in 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He set up more exhibits in places like Chicago, Omaha, and Atlantic City. His most famous exhibit was at Coney Island in New York, where people paid a small fee to see tiny babies being cared for inside warm glass incubators.

At first, some people thought Couney was just putting babies on display for money. But inside his exhibits, everything was taken very seriously. The incubators were kept clean and sterile. Nurses followed strict rules, no smoking, healthy diets, and lots of attention to the babies. If a nurse didn’t follow the rules, she was fired. Couney even helped save his own daughter Hildegarde, who was born six weeks early. She later grew up to help run his shows.

Despite his hard work, many people in the medical world didn’t believe in Couney. They said he wasn’t really a doctor and made fun of his work. But some respected doctors, like Dr. Julius Hess and others, supported him. In fact, Dr. Hess once called Couney his “great teacher” and praised him for being both scientific and ethical.

Couney’s personal life was closely tied to his work. He married a nurse named Annabelle Segner in 1903, and they worked together for many years. After she passed away in 1936, Couney continued his mission. He lived in a house near his Coney Island exhibit and kept running the shows until he died in 1950 at the age of 73. Sadly, his daughter Hildegarde died six years later, and she had no children.

Today, researchers know that parts of Couney’s story, like where he trained or whether he had a medical degree, are unclear. But what is certain is that his work saved thousands of babies who would have otherwise died. His use of incubators showed the world that premature babies could survive if they had the right care. After his death, hospitals slowly started using incubators, and neonatal intensive care units were created in the 1960s and 1970s.

Thanks to Martin Couney’s efforts, premature babies today have a much better chance of survival. His early work, once seen as strange and even wrong, is now recognized as a major step forward in the care of newborns. Though he may not have had a medical diploma on his wall, his life’s work speaks for itself.

References:
“Baby Incubators: From Boardwalk Sideshow to Medical Marvel.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 18 July 2025, www.history.com/articles/baby-incubators-boardwalk-sideshows-medical-marvels.
“Martin Arthur Couney (1869-1950).” Neonatology on the Web, neonatology.net/gallery/people/martin-arthur-couney-1869-1950/.

Keywords:
Science, Innovation, Justice, Perseverance, Courage, Responsibility, Repair the World – Tikkun Olam, Challenge Injustices, Make a Difference, STEAM

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Martin Couney Artworks

View Discovery Award projects about this Unsung Hero:
Martin Couney - Discovery Award 2020