Martin Couney was shunned by the medical professionals as a mere showman and not an actual doctor (his credentials turned out to be nonexistent), but he himself told the media that he’d give up on these exhibitions only when there’d be decent medical care for the prematurely born. The incubators themselves were a medical miracle – they were made of steel and glass and stood on legs that were about 5ft tall. Hot water was supplied by a boiler on the outside, to a bed of mesh on which the baby slept. The ‘physician’ was also an early advocate for breastfeeding and all of his nurses would be directly sacked if he caught them smoking or drinking. They wore starched white uniforms and the facility where babies were kept was always spotlessly clean.