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| "Step right up..for one thin nickel see pint sized preemies in their incubators" |
Health care finance took an unusual course around the turn of the 20th century. Dr. Martin Courey, a pioneering OB physician who was equal part showman had a brainstorm. "Incubator Baby Exhibits" were initiated at Coney Island Amusement Park adjacent to a roller coaster. This venture was so successful that it spread to many expositions including Luna Park here in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Courey was as adept at showmanship as he was in his medical endeavors. He dressed the premature infants in oversize gowns to emphasize their miniature size and preferred nurses with the stature of a football linebacker to minimize the size appearance of the babies. A hybrid physician and carnival showman.
The amusement park exhibit resembled a typical hospital ward with nurses providing care 24/7 behind a glassed partition. After paying their 5 cent admission (inflation later increased the price of admission to a dime) the public could position themselves so that the distance between them and the babies was the length that the wrist is distal to the elbow.
At the time of the exhibits the babies were referred to as premature which had a different meaning than preterm. Medical literature of the day described the infants as "weaklings" and viewed them as lacking energy or vitality. There was much debate about the etiology being hereditary vs. immature development.
Most babies of this era were born at home and cared for by the mother. It was common practice to keep babies warm by placing them in a laundry basket warmed by hot bottles. The invention of the incubator involved a transition of care from the mother to an institutional setting. Low birth rate babies were soon transferred to the amusement park incubators for care. HIPPA regulations were many moons away in a distant future.
The amusement park shows were really a celebration of technology and the promises of hope for premature babies. Some things never change and today the publics' expectation of medical technology is stoked by images of robotic surgeries and laser beam miracles. You pay your money and take your chances.
Fortunately, Dr. Couney didn't think to put his incubator babies ON the roller coaster.
ReplyDeleteHow true. Many early expositions had a technology exhibit area, but the incubator babies always found a home on the midway to enhance attendance.
ReplyDeleteYe gods and little fishes!!!
ReplyDeleteGoodness OFRN I don't know where you find out these amazing things - but reading this makes me very grateful indeed for modern NICU's! Cheers, Sue.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon a magazine article about infant incubators as side show exhibitions during a waiting room session at my neurologist's office. It's amazing what you can learn in a doctor's waiting room.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to learn these exhibitions at Luna Park in Pittsburgh lasted until the late 1930s. One of the perks was the cost of an infant's care (about $10 per day) was covered in full by the spectator admission fee. Hmm..maybe I can finance my next colonoscopy by selling admission tickets.
I think people might prefer to look at babies rather than a colonoscopy sadly OFRN - but thanks for the laugh.
ReplyDeleteThank heavens our attitudes to some things have changed is all I can say!!! S.
It's no ordinary colonoscopy, I neglected to mention my aversion to sedation of any sort and do them wide awake (my gastroenterologist labeled me a control freak and he's probably correct.) I can narrate the various anatomical sights along the way and last time my endoscopist managed to navigate past the ileocecal junction for added thrills and mind numbing cramps. You get what you pay for! Step right up.
ReplyDeleteI have often found that a patient that refuses sedation makes the attending medical officer anxious. They're used to their patients being "out to it". Makes the nurse anxious too. I've insisted on some procedures without sedation (I hate sedation too) and it's flustered the MO and nurse badly. Good on you OFRN! S.
ReplyDeleteColonoscopies without sedation--you two are certainly brave. I insist on novacaine before a manicure.
DeleteIt's not bravery, Hildy, but pure foolishness in it's most blatant form!
DeleteWith the pro-business and healthcare for profit mindset of our current administration I wonder why they don't do healthcare with various levels of spectator seating? Hospitals could compete for the most entertaining procedures and have playoffs in large venues. HIPAA would, of course, have to be eliminated. Emergency departments may have an edge since they get some television coverage already, but think of the money to be made! What's the point in saving lives if you can't turn a tidy profit? Dr. Martin Courey was just way ahead of his time.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I am totally fine with being unconscious for colonoscopies although I do appreciate the anatomy review.
OR personnel do get kind of skittish when working with awake patients and many times even with regional or spinal anesthesia the anesthetist would "trace an agent" to put them asleep. During my last colonoscopy my colon was misted with methylene blue dye for better tissue delineation. I told the MD about my methylene blue blog post (A Blue Finger Bigot) and he promised to read it right after the procedure. When he strolled into the recovery area with a big grin, I knew he had perused my foolishness.
ReplyDeleteJono, Healthcare funding certainly needs a new approach. It always saddens me when a group of mothers start a bake sale or other enterprise to fund care for their child. It seems like attempting to finance a new car with rolls of pennies.
Had a look at that post OFRN - loved the "deplorable and disgusting". It did give me a chuckle so I'm sure your MD enjoyed it as well! You've certainly had a most fascinating career - I look forward to many more such posts from you! Cheers, Sue.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words of encouagement
ReplyDeleteSome people are always looking for a leg up. I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but it may be that many who began extrauterine life weighing less than my tv remote, continue to kick it every day of their lives and run circles around the gawkers. I may be biased, since my current job makes it important to believe that all the sacrifices young women make are worth it, but I still believe the vulnerable in utero or out, will one day be the movers and shakers in the world. Maybe being a circus freak before you could even maintain normal body temp made these people extra tough.
ReplyDeleteHow true!
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