People estimate that the Prussian-born showman saved the lives of somewhere around 6,500 infants and changed the course of American medical science. By the time of the early 1940s, the initial interest in premature babies’ sideshows had diminished, but hospitals started opening units dedicated to the care and treatment of premature babies. Couney’s dream had come true. Unfortunately, the pioneer for preemies care died in the 1950s at the age of 80 with no money in his pocket. But his legacy lives on.