SCIENCES

The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies

by Dawn Raffel
Blue Rider. Jul. 2018. 304p. photos. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780399175749. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780698404816. MED
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The story of European émigré and purported "doctor" Martin A. Couney (1870–1950), who showcased incubators in carnivals and world fairs throughout the early 20th century, which helped to save the lives of hundreds of premature infants, is a wild and intriguing tale. Raffel (The Secret life of Objects; In the Year of Long Division) writes brief and focused chapters that bring together the many aspects of Couney's life, revealing the medical establishment's disdain of a carnival man and how some saw beyond that. Readers feel Couney's stresses and joys of working as a showman despite not being fully immersed in that world.
VERDICT Written for general readers but heavily notated, this engaging title will appeal more to those interested in cultural history, particularly world fairs, than the history of medicine. [See Prepub Alert, 1/29/18.]
Reviewed by Eric D. Albright, Tufts Univ. Lib., Boston , Jun 15, 2018
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