Martin Couney

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

When Lucille Horn was born premature in 1920, she was not expected to survive. At the time, the medical establishment rejected incubators pioneered by Martin Couney, but he was unfazed. Each summer for 40 years, he funded his work by displaying the babies at Coney Island and charging patrons 25 cents to see them.

Parents did not have to pay for the medical care, and many children who would have otherwise died survived -- including Horn.

Babies On Display: When A Hospital Couldn't Save Them, A Sideshow Did

Among Coney Island's sideshows a century ago, one was different: an exhibit of premature infants. The show funded Dr. Martin Couney's pioneering work — and...

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