
Babies On Display: When a Hospital Couldn't Save Them, a Sideshow Did (2015) - raldi
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/10/421239869/babies-on-display-when-a-hospital-couldnt-save-them-a-sideshow-did
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owenversteeg
That's the most heartwarming NY "hustle" story I've ever heard. Working long
hours at a carnival, in the NY summer heat, pre-air conditioning (he started
in 1896!) to save thousands of lives for no recognition. He did this for half
a century, and for no profit either: he provided free medical care to the
parents!

This man is a damned hero. Stories like these are why I could never sympathize
with eugenicists, who prevented incubators from being introduced in hospitals
until the 1940s.

~~~
jessriedel
Although no one uses eugenics to justify it anymore, there are still plenty of
infants who are allowed to die because of severe birth defects that prevent
mental development or give a high risk of early death. The moral situation
arguably has greatly improved, but the difference between then and now is not
nearly so clean cut.

~~~
Filligree
That's a different situation, isn't it?

I mean, it depends on the specifics, but if you have someone who'll never
reach even the intelligence of a cat... It's hard to justify their life on
ethical grounds, when effectively "they" don't exist. Maybe that wasn't the
situation you had in mind.

~~~
jessriedel
Most people don't value human life in proportion to intelligence. You can
certainly construct an ethical framework with various thresholds, but my point
is that the actual rules in place today reflect a regulatory equilibrium
rather than a self-consistent moral philosophy. Most sensible philosophies
will consider at least some modern accepted practices to be morally
reprehensible.

~~~
kalleboo
> but my point is that the actual rules in place today reflect a regulatory
> equilibrium rather than a self-consistent moral philosophy

I guess since people's morals are so varied, it's too hard to agree on a self-
consistent moral philosophy. As an extreme example, just look at cases where
people will ensure the right for a child to be born, but then not ensure
rights to continuing health/nutrition/education. Beyond outliers like that
there's a spectrum of every kind of opinion

~~~
jessriedel
Under that logic, we'd stop saving the lives of the homeless in ERs unless we
also gauranteed their health and education.

~~~
kalleboo
Makes sense to me. Why save someone's life if you're going to kick them right
back out onto the street to die in some alley again?

You may not be surprised to hear I'm from a country with a strong social
safety net (which I guess works because there is more consensus on life over
liberty)

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Cyphase
I hope I wasn't the only one who thought for a moment that this was talking
about a startup incubator. Even though that wouldn't have made a whole lot of
sense.

~~~
Cyphase
The title was "Incubator pioneer funded his work by displaying premature
babies at a carnival" before it was changed.

~~~
GotAnyMegadeth
I read the current title, "Babies On Display: When a Hospital Couldn't Save
Them, a Sideshow Did (2015)" as slideshow instead of sideshow!

~~~
yellowapple
That'd have to be one hell of a PowerPoint!

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leoc
Context: [https://www.amazon.com/Black-Stork-Eugenics-Defective-
Americ...](https://www.amazon.com/Black-Stork-Eugenics-Defective-
American/dp/0195135393)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Haiselden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_J._Haiselden)
"Harry John Haiselden (March 16, 1870 – June 18, 1919) was the Chief Surgeon
at the German-American Hospital in Chicago in 1915 who refused to perform
needed surgery for children born with severe birth defects and allowed the
babies to die, in an act of eugenics."

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dang
We changed the URL from [http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-
way/2017/02/25/517221933/...](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-
way/2017/02/25/517221933/lucille-horn-who-was-nursed-to-health-in-a-coney-
island-sideshow-dies-at-96) by the submitter's request. The two articles are
closely related of course.

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PhasmaFelis
I was not expecting "sick babies displayed at carnival sideshow" to be a
wonderful, heartwarming story.

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tudorw
This is a lesson in shifting morals, and brings to mind a discussion I had
that for me puts the nail in AI, modelling rational systems is 'easy',
modelling systems that change over time is very hard, how would an AI's moral
system keep in lockstep with the shifting whim of humanity ?

~~~
posguy
Speaking of morals, is it really moral to not promote and invest in kidney
transplants rather than have the federal government pay for dialysis for 5+
years before a person dies (due to the failed kidneys usually)?

We could easily get most people off Dialysis, and allow them to live much
healthier and longer lives if we allowed patient collectives (akin to Iran) to
reward donors with cash and healthcare for the rest of their lives.

Why do we choose to let this chunk of our population die slowly and at great
expense, rather than do a (relatively) inexpensive & safe transplant? Seems
twisted and sadistic on society's part to basically tourture this segment of
the populace.

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DougWebb
That's the first step on a bad road.

Step 1: Reward volunteer donors with cash, healthcare

Step 2: Reward 'volunteer' donors with welfare, housing

Step 3: Reward 'volunteer' donors with reduced criminal penalties

Step 4: Reward 'volunteer' donors with reduced prison sentences

Step 5: Make donation a compulsory sentencing option

Step 6: Compel criminals to donate _both_ kidneys

Now you're China.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Ha! Fun game. We can make up junk and make anything look bad! How about:

1: go to church

2: compel others to go to church

3: lock the doors and burn the place down

~~~
DougWebb
What you're missing is that China is _already_ executing prisoners in order to
harvest their organs. This isn't hypothetical. So anyone who wants to advocate
for selling human organs for transplant need to address how to avoid abuse of
powerless victims who may be compelled to donate.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Speculative? They're using kidneys from prisoners, once they are executed. To
turn around cause and effect is disingenuous. You can guess that that may be
happening; to state it as fact is quite a stretch.

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Endy
My great-aunt was one of the Coney Island babies. She's not dead yet, last I
heard.

~~~
Endy
BTW - I just confirmed that she is alive and well with my Uncle.

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cbr
Pictures of the carnival stand at different times:

[http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Infant-
In...](http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Infant-Incubators-
building-at-1901-Pan-American-Exposition.jpg)

[http://www.neonatology.org/pinups/ConeyIslandBooklet1.jpg](http://www.neonatology.org/pinups/ConeyIslandBooklet1.jpg)

[https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/720/cpsprodpb/D28F/productio...](https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/720/cpsprodpb/D28F/production/_89730935_976549_martincouneybabyincubatorexhibitentrance.jpg)

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kristopolous
I think about this story every time I hear "Goodbye My Coney Island Baby" and
imagine someone serenading an infant in an incubator in 1920.

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paulpauper
this seems applicable to libertarianism

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omegaworks
Couney used Coney to incubate his incubators!

~~~
sixQuarks
Couney hacked Coney to incubate his incubatores

