{"product_id":"the-strange-case-of-dr-couney-how-a-mysterious-european-showman-saved-thousands-of-american-babies-9781524744960","title":"The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A mosaic mystery told in vignettes, cliffhangers, curious asides, and some surreal plot twists as Raffel investigates the secrets of the man who changed infant care in America.\"--NPR, 2018's Great Reads \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e What kind of doctor puts his patients on display? This is the spellbinding tale of a mysterious Coney Island doctor who revolutionized neonatal care more than one hundred years ago and saved some seven thousand babies. Dr. Martin Couney's story is a kaleidoscopic ride through the intersection of ebullient entrepreneurship, enlightened pediatric care, and the wild culture of world's fairs at the beginning of the American Century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As Dawn Raffel recounts, Dr. Couney used incubators and careful nursing to keep previously doomed infants alive, while displaying these babies alongside sword swallowers, bearded ladies, and burlesque shows at Coney Island, Atlantic City, and venues across the nation. How this turn-of-the-twentieth-century  migr  became the savior to families with premature infants--known then as \"weaklings\"--as he ignored the scorn of the medical establishment and fought the rising popularity of eugenics is one of the most astounding stories of modern medicine. Dr. Couney, for all his entrepreneurial gusto, is a surprisingly appealing character, someone who genuinely cared for the well-being of his tiny patients. But he had something to hide... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Drawing on historical documents, original reportage, and interviews with surviving patients, Dawn Raffel tells the marvelously eccentric story of Couney's mysterious carnival career, his larger-than-life personality, and his unprecedented success as the savior of the fragile wonders that are tiny, tiny babies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e New \u0026amp; Noteworthy Title\u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of 2018\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChristopher Award-winner \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-12514111\"\u003eDawn Raffel\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Blue Rider Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/10\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781524744960\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1524744964\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO017000\"\u003eMedical (Incl. Patients)\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-SOC\"\u003eSocial Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-SOC057000\"\u003eDisease \u0026amp; Health Issues\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-MED\"\u003eMedical\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-MED039000\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDawn Raffel \u003c\/b\u003eis a journalist, memoirist, and short story writer whose work has been widely anthologized. A longtime magazine editor, she helped launch\u003ci\u003e O, The Oprah Magazine.\u003c\/i\u003e She has also taught creative writing in the MFA program at Columbia University; at Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia; Montreal; and Vilnius, Lithuania; and at the Center for Fiction in New York. She now works as an independent editor and book reviewer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blue Rider Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43834870988939,"sku":"9781524744960","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5100\/7115\/files\/img_91f5c46a-f0b2-447d-ba2e-44f350f539e0.jpg?v=1755665890","url":"https:\/\/cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/products\/the-strange-case-of-dr-couney-how-a-mysterious-european-showman-saved-thousands-of-american-babies-9781524744960","provider":"CA Corrections Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}