| From the 1896 Berlin Exposition until the 1939 New York World’s Fair, exhibits displaying infant incubators emerged as one of the greatest draws for fairs, including this one at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. With infant mortality rates reaching 165 per 1,000 births then, the public was fascinated by the idea of machines providing better care than mothers. Borrowing prematurely born babies from St. Louis-area hospitals, the exhibit’s managers staffed the booth with trained nurses and a head physician, while attendees paid admission to view this medical miracle. |
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