One of the most unsung and influential leaders in medicine- Dr. Martin Couney- utilized his unique ability to guide the public to a better understanding of the importance of the lives of neonatal patients. In the early twentieth century, premature infant care was not existent due to the popular religious belief that a baby was meant to die if preterm labor was induced, the preemie should be laid to rest. However, Couney saw the immorality within this notion and decided to revolutionize and spread the modern idea of neonatal care. He uniquely accomplished this through creating sideshows to exhibit the premature babies, advertising them as “oddities”, and having the public pay fifteen cents in order to look at the premature infants in incubators. This acted as a method to spread awareness about the growing necessity of neonatal care as well as demonstrate the infants’ worth. Couney nursed back to health through unconventional ways, showing each infant love with human contact- an absurd idea to the general population- since many believed that the preemies were not even “human”.
Couney knew the only way to get the public to pay attention to the necessity of awareness and care was to advertise the premature infants as “freaks of nature”. Although Couney was shunned and shamed for his distinctive incubator ideas, he persisted treating preterm infants due to his intense concern for the babies. For this reason, Couney can be considered a behavioral leader due to his solicitude for the babies and the parents of the preemies. When the general public payed the entrance fee to enter into the sideshow, the sum of the money went to paying for medical expenses of the families. This sheer love and affection for not only the medicine of neonatology; however, the intense sympathy for the babies that were previously turned away from hospitals and left to die. Dr. Martin Couney saved over six thousand five hundred babies in his time touring the preemies in the sideshows. He believed the one and only way to spread awareness was through showing others what care should look like. Couney also brought the idea of the incubator to The United States which further normalized the idea of Neonatology being a legitimate field of medicine. Couney was constantly concerned about the care of his patients and making sure they were given the best chance. Years later, the babies who were in the incubators have started to speak out. Many people raise questions regarding the ethics that Couney had, putting infants on display. However, the “preemies” express their gratitude for him and articulate that if Couney had done anything other than the sideshows, modern society would not have incubators or state of the art Neonatal care as we know it. This perfectly exemplifies the behavioral leadership qualities that Dr. Martin Couney possessed and the effectiveness in which each of his control and guidance had in saving thousands of lives. Couney was exclusively attentive to the care of his infants and very assured that his method, utilizing sideshows was the sole strategy that would function and bring the most success and acceptance to the field of neonatology.