Glasgow East End Industrial Exhibition of 1903-1904
The Glasgow East End Industrial Exhibition of 1903-1904 ran from December 9, 1903 to April 9, 1904. It was staged in premises in Duke Street in Dennistoun designed for the East End Exhibition of 1890/91 (which was held to raise money for a “People’s Palace” for the East End) and had as its specific aim the raising of money for the Royal Infirmary. The Chairman of the Exhibition, David Fortune, printer’s compositor turned exhibition impresario who was involved with at least four other exhibitions. Admission was 2.5p for adults or 37.5p for a season ticket.
The opening ceremony was performed by the Right Hon. The Lord Balfour of Burliegh, followed by a concert given by the Royal Marines with a chorus of three hundred voices. The sections of the exhibition included paintings, womens industries, handicrafts, Clyde shipbuilding, amateur photography and commercial exhibits by many of the leading local and foreign firms. In August 1904, the venue hosted the popular Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, which drew record crowds despite torrential rain.
Although unimportant by comparison to the worlds’ fairs we have discussed elsewhere on this web site, the Glasgow East End Industrial Exhibition of 1903/1904 is notable because it is one of the first known (so far) appearances of Moritz Ehrlich* at a fair or exposition with an incubator baby exhibit.
“REAL LIVE BABIES.”
THE INCUBATOR AT WORK AT THE EXHIBITION.
One of the first things to excite the curiosity of the visitor to the East-End Exhibition is a sign-board above the entrance to a small, neatly built structure near the top of the Grand Avenue with the words — “Baby Incubators in full working order: Real Live Babies.”
The interior of the Baby Incubator Institute is of the simplest design. It is divided by a glass partition into two apartments. One used as a nursery, and the other provides accommodation for six incubators. Two nurses are in attendance day and night, the temperature of the nursery being the same as that of the incubators, and never much less than 90 degrees.
The incubator,. which is a scientific method of preserving the lives of prematurely-born and weakly infants, is, briefly, a nearly square box of silvery metal, placed about three feet from the floor on four iron supports. It is air-tight, except for the ventilating pipe at the left wall, sending in a constant stream of pure, filtered air. The proper temperature is maintained by the air passing over hot-water pipes placed on the floor of the cage. An exhaust pipe situated in the centre of the roof of the incubator carries away the impure air. There are two glass sides to the incubator, by means of which the body has sufficient light and the nurses and the doctor are afforded opportunity for observation without admitting unfiltered air or changing the temperature.
On the front of the box is a chart on which aro daily registered the weight, size, temperature, pulse, respiration and general physical conditions of the little occupant. Every two hours at least the baby is lifted from its hay pillow and swiftly carried to the nursery room, where it is fed either with a spoon or by a tube which is passed along the nostrils into the gullet. Very rarely are the finy patients promoted to the dignity of taking milk from a bottle until they hase been in the incubator at least 40 days. By that time they begin to acquire the habit of living, to show some faint resemblance to the human race, and to recognize meal time with the precision and regularity of a grown-up boarder.
Following one or two months residence within the walls of the incubator there comes a suggestion of colour in the little cheeks. or intelligence in the eyes. and the premature “representative” of babyhood has become
something to pet and croon over, us well as a unique testimony to the power of modern science.
The system of artificial environment is fairly common in England, and permanent institutes are in existence in France, Germany. Russia, and other European countries. It is claimed for the incubator that the lives of no fewer than 80 percent. of prematurely born children are saved every year.
Since the East End Exhibition opened six or seven infants have been treated, in every case with satisfactory results.
Last night, on the invitation of M. Ehrlich, the director, the Institute was visited by a large number of the medical profession of the city, who carefully inspected the system, and were afterwards entertained to supper at the Executive Club — Mr. David Fortune, J. P., presiding. Proposing success to the Incubator Institute, Professor Glaister expressed the view that the system was as near perfection as possible.
It may be added that the medical officer is Dr. Roy Fortune, who pays official visits to the Institute at least three times a day.
— The Daily Record and Mail, January 12, 1904
The exhibition drew 908,897 visitors, and made a profit of £221. From the financial side the exhibition was a failure because it was hoped that they would have doubled the £3,000 profits of the earlier (1890/91) exhibition. It was vastly smaller than the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901, which drew over 11,400,000 visitors, however, its attendance was respectable for a regional exhibition for charity.
* Moritz Ehrlich, referred to in most news accounts as M. Ehrlich is a somewhat mysterious figure. I have not been able to find much information about him other than his origin in Vienna. He used Lion incubators, and his exhibits usually were named “Baby Incubator Institute.” He is known to have exhibited at Glasgow in 1903-1904, Bradford in 1904, Liege in 1905, Budapest in 1906, Dublin in 1907, Edinburgh in 1908, and Brussels in 1935.
Last Updated on 04/15/26