Over nearly fifty years, Dr. Martin A. County, an extraordinary physician-showman, demonstrated the benefits of baby incubators at various Expositions and World’s Fairs in the United States and abroad, and at various amusement parks in the United States. From 1903 until 1943 he maintained a summer-season incubator institute at Coney Island, only closing it after New York Cornell Hospital finally opened a dedicated unit for premature babies in 1941. In his fusion of science and showmanship education and entertainment, he confused and confounded critics over his long career, but despite attacks his passion for his premature clients and their families, and his dedication to their wellbeing, never waned.
About the presenterElizabeth Scheuer
Elizabeth Scheuer, trained as an attorney, completed an MA at Cooper Hewitt/Parsons New School in History of Decorative Arts and Design. For several years she was a lecturer in History & Styles of Decorative Arts and Interior Design at Purchase College/SUNY in Westchester, New York, and she is a design guide at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in Manhattan. She volunteers occasionally at legal clinics to keep the legal side of her brain functioning.