Classic Books and Articles (Chronological)

The purpose of this site is to preserve and share foundational texts and historical documents that illustrate the evolution of care for premature and critically ill newborns. These resources include writings by or about early pioneers such as Pierre Budin, Stéphane Étienne Tarnier, Martin Couney, Alexandre Lion, Julius Hess, and others whose innovations shaped modern neonatology.

The materials linked or reproduced here are in the public domain or are provided under educational fair use. They are intended for clinicians, historians, educators, students, and anyone interested in the history of neonatal care.

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Classic Papers in Neonatal Medicine (Sorted by Date)

De Morbis Puerorum, or, A Treatise of the Diseases of Children, by Robert Pemell, 1653.
De Morbis Infantum , by Richard Conyers, 1729.
Abrégé Historique de l’Etablissement de l’Hôpital des Enfans-Trouvés , by M. Arrault, 1746.
An Essay upon Nursing and the Management of Children, from their Birth to Three Years of Age, Third Edition, by William Cadogan, 1749.
Traité de l’Ictère ou Jaunisse des Enfants de Naissance [Treatise on Icterus or Jaundice of the Newborn] by Baumes, Thimotée, 1806.
A Cursory Inquiry Into Some of the Principal Causes of Mortality Among Children, by John Bunnell Davis, 1817.
Plain Instructions for the Management of Infants, by John Darwall, 1830.
Bemerkungen über einige Krankheiten der Säuglinge [Remarks about several illnesses of babies], by Ph. von Doepp, 1835.
Case of a Child Born Betwixt the End of the Sixth and Middle of the Seventh Month and Brought Up, by R. Annan, 1848.
On Hemorrhage from the Umbilicus in New-born Infants, with an Analysis of Forty-six Cases, by Francis Minot, 1852.
Berceau incubateur pour les enfants nés avant terme [Incubating cradle for children born before term], by Jean-Louis-Paul Denucé, Journal de Médicine de Bordeaux, December, 1857. With English translation.
Berceau incubateur pour les enfants nés avant terme [Incubating cradle for children born before term], by Jean-Louis-Paul Denucé, Journal de Médicine de Bordeaux, December, 1857. (scanned original)
On the Influence of Abnormal Parturition, Difficult Labours, Premature Birth, and Asphyxia Neonatorum, on the Mental and Physical Condition of the Child, Especially in Relation to Deformities, by W. J. Little, 1861.
Excessive Infant-Mortality: How Can It Be Stayed? by M. A. Baines, 1862.
Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots, by J. Langdon H. Down, 1866.
On Human Milk, by C. Meymott Tidy, 1868.
Der Scheintod Neugeborener, by C. Ludwig and B. S. Schultze, 1871.
Advice to a mother on the management of her children and on the treatment on the moment of some of their more pressing illnesses and accidents, by Pye Henry Chavasse, 1880.
Die Verhütung der Ausgenentzuendung der Neugeborenen [The prevention of inflammation of the newborn], by Credé, Carl Siegmund Franz, 1881.
Über Anwendung permanenter Bäder bei Neugeborenen, by Franz Winckel, 1882.
De La Couveuse Pour Enfants, by A. Auvard, 1883.
Revivification, by S. Waterman, 1883.
The Couvreuse, or Mechanical Nurse, from The Lancet, 1883.
Artificial Child Incubation, from The Manufacturer and Builder, 1883.
Les nouvelles couveuses pour enfants [The new incubators for infants], from Le Monde Illustré, Paris, 1884.
Incubators for Infants, from The Illustrated London News, 1884.
On the Use of a Constant Bath for New-Born Children, by F. Winckel, 1884 [English abstract].
Ueber Erwärmungsgeräthe für frühgeborene und schwächliche kleine Kinder [Concerning warming devices for prematures and feeble tiny children], by Carl Siegmund Franz Credé, Archiv für Gynäkologie 24:128-147, 1884. Source: Google Books.
Credé, Carl Siegmund Franz: Ueber Erwärmungsgeräthe für frühgeborene und schwächliche kleine Kinder [Concerning warming devices for prematures and feeble tiny children], Archiv für Gynäkologie 24:128-147, 1884. German with English translation, transcribed from the scanned article for readability.
Infant Feeding, by John M. Keating, 1884.
Hearson’s Thermostatic Nurse, Illustrated London News, April 12, 1894.
Une Nouvelle Couveuse pour Enfants Nouveau-Nés , by G. Eustache, 1884. As published as an offprint by Societe Industrielle du Nord de la France. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Des soins à donner aux enfants nés avant terme, by S. Tarnier, 1885. (French)
Des soins à donner aux enfants nés avant terme, by S. Tarnier, 1885. (English via Google Translate)
Des soins à donner aux enfants nés avant terme, by S. Tarnier, 1885. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France. (French)
Une Nouvelle Couveuse pour Enfants Nouveau-Nés [A New Incubator for Newborn Infants], by G. Eustache, 1885. As published in Journal des Sciences Médicales de Lille. (scanned pages)
Prolonged Asphyxia in the New-Born Infant, by W. D. Bizzell, 1885.
La Couveuse et le Gavage a la Maternité de Paris [The Incubator and Gavage Feeds
at the Paris Maternity Hospital], by Paul Berthod, Thesis version, 1887.
La Couveuse et le Gavage a la Maternité de Paris [The Incubator and Gavage Feeds at the Paris Maternity Hospital], by Paul Berthod, 1887. Book version. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
The Warming-Crib (scanned original), The Warning Crib (transcribed version), by John Bartlett, Chicago Medical Journal and Examiner, May 1887.
Some Points in Relation to Premature Children, by Wm. H. Taylor, 1887.
Über Wärmevorrichtungen für zu früh geborene oder lebensschwache Kinder, by L. Furst, 1887.
Artificial Mother for Infants, Scientific American Supplement, April 28, 1888.
Allaitement et Hygiène des Enfants Nouveau-Né: Couveuse et Gavage, by S.Tarnier, P. Budin, and J. Chantreuil, 1888. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Nouvelle Couveuse Pour Enfants, by A. Auvard, 1889. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Diffre, Dr.: Nouveau Système de Couveuse pour les Nouveau-Nés, by Dr. Diffre, 1890. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Des Inhalations d’Oxygène chez les Nouveau-Nés [Inhalations of Oxygen by the New-Born], by Bonnaire, Journal de Médecine de Paris, pp. 312-314, June 28, 1891. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
A Wee Child in an Incubator, The New York Times, 1891.
A New Baby Incubator, by Edward J. Brown, 1892.
Premature Labor and the New-Born Child, by Henry W. Bettmann, 1892.
A Description of a New Incubator, by T. M. Rotch, 1893.
Presentation d’Appareil (describing the Lion incubator), by M. Pinard, 1893. Source: gallica.bnf.fr
The Haemorrhagic Disease of the New-Born, by Charles W. Townsend, MD, 1894.
Mme. Henri’s Couveuse Department at the Paris Maternité, Occidental Medical Times,1894
The Children’s Incubator, by J. Egerton Brandt, 1895.
La Maternité “Lion de Nice” pour enfants nés avant terme ou débiles, by Joseph Ciaudo, 1895. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Traitement prophylactique de l’ophtalmie des nouveaux-nés, par le nitrate d’argent en solution faible, à 1 pour 150, by Pierre Budin, 1895. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
“La Maternité Lion,” by Louis Énault, Journal of the Bordeaux Exposition, 1895
“Quelques Réflexions sur le Fonctionnement et les Résultats des Couveuses Lion pendant l’Exposition Nationale,” by Dr. Hector Maillart, Revue Médicale de La Suisse Romande, 1896.
An Improved System of Incubators, by O. Jennings, 1896.
Baby Incubators, by James Walter Smith, 1896.
Infant Feeding – A Review, by Abraham Jacobi,1896.
Service des Enfants Débiles a la Maternité, Année 1895-1897, by Pierre Budin, 1896-1899. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Human Infant Incubation, Leslie’s Weekly, December 9, 1897.
Incubators and Milk Laboratory Feeding, by John A. Lyons, 1897.
The Victorian Era Exhibition at Earl’s Court, from The Lancet, 1897.
The Use of Incubators for Infants, from The Lancet, 1897.
Immature Infants in France, from The Lancet, January 16, 1897, page 196.
Asphyxia Neonatorum: Causation and Treatment, by Joseph B. De Lee, 1897.
Hospitalism, by Floyd M. Crandall, 1897.
Le Professeur S. Tarnier, 1828-1897, by Paul Bar, 1897. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Les couveuses d’enfant et le gavage, by César-A Queirolo, Geneva,1897.
Les Couveuses pour Enfants a la Maternité, by L. Bachoué, L’Illustration Journal Universel, Paris, January 2, 1897
Lion Incubators, The Literary Digest, 1898.
Der Scheintod der Neugeborenen, by Dr. Ludwig Knapp, 1898. [German ]
Des avantages au point de vue hospitalier de la chambre couveuse, installée a la Charité de Lyon, by Jean Gignoux, 1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Le Professeur Tarnier , by Pierre Budin, Le Progrès Médical Paris, pp. 289-293, May 7, 1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Statistique de la Maternité de Paris, by Pierre Budin,1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Présentation de la Couveuse-Berceau, by Dr. Diffre, 1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Tarnier Memorium with photos and obituary, by M. A. Pinard of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, 1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
The Care of Premature and Feeble Infants, by S. W. Ransom, 1898.
The Care and Feeding of Premature Infants, by G. F. Blacker, 1898.
The Scope and Limitations of Hospitals for Infants, by L. Emmett Holt, 1898.
Statistique de la Maternité de Paris, du 1er janvier 1895 au 28 février 1898, by Pierre Budin,1898. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
The Danger of Making a Public Show of Incubators for Babies, Editorial from The Lancet, 1898.
La Couveuse Artificielle chez les Nouveau-Nés, by V. Pascaud, Paris, 1899. Source: National Library of Medicine microfilm.
The Rearing of Premature Children by Means of Incubators, by H. D. Chapin, 1900.
Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine, by George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle, 1900.
The Care of Premature Babies in Incubators, James D. Voorhees, 1900.
Les Couveuses pour Enfants, Editors, Gazette Médicale de Paris:Vol. 11 No. 3, 1900.
Consultations de Nourrissons, thesis by Mlle. Entz, 1900
Des Prématurés: Caractéres, Pronostic, Traitement, by Camille Hahn, 1901.
De Lion Incubator at Low Maternity Hospital, Francis H. Stuart, 1901.
The Incubator Baby and Niagara Falls, Arthur Brisbane, 1901.
Some Medical Aspects of the Pan-American Exposition: Infant Incubators, from the Buffalo Medical Journal, 1901.
Exhibit of Infant Incubators at the Pan-American Exhibition, from Pediatrics, 1901.
Exhibit of Infant Incubators at the Pan-American Exposition, from Pediatrics,1901.
Baby Incubators at the Pan-American Exposition, from Scientific American, 1901.
Three Tiny Girls in the Incubators, Buffalo Evening Journal, 1901.
Twelve at the Exposition, Buffalo Express, 1901.
Premature Infants, by Vanderpoel Adriance, 1901.
Infant Incubation, with the Presentation of a New Incubator and a Description of the System at the Chicago Lying-In Hospital, by Joseph B. De Lee, 1902.
The Problem of the Premature Infant, by J. W. Ballantyne, 1902.
Incubadoras para Criaturas [Maternité Lion in Barcelona], by R. Mainar La Huerta,1902.
La Mortalité Infantile de 0 à 1 an, by Pierre Budin, 1903. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Hôpital de la Maternité, Administration générale de l’Assistance publique à Paris, 1903. Scanned version. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France.
Les consultations des nourrissons, by Charles Maygrier, 1903. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France. (French)
A Study of the Caloric Needs of Premature Infants, by John Lovett Morse, 1904.
See the Incubator Babies, by Murat Halstead, 1904.
Étude sur la Mortalité de la Première Enfance, by Pierre Budin,1904.
The Baby Incubators on the “Pike,” by John Zahorsky, published in 9 installments, 1905.
Les Consultations de Nourrisons, by Pierre Budin, 1905.
The Care and Feeding of Premature Infants, by John Lovett Morse, 1905.
The Incubator Babies at Wonderland Park, The Minneapolis Journal, May 20, 1905.
Wonderland Park is Well Opened, The Minneapolis Journal, May 29, 1905.
De l’Embryotomie sur l’Enfant Vivant, by Pierre Budin,1906.
Décès de M. P. Budin [The Death of Professor Budin], by A. Gautier, 1907.
La Mortalité Infantile dans les Bouches-du-Rhone, by Pierre Budin, 1907.
Budin, by V. Ungaro, 1907.
Fondation du pavilion des enfantes débiles à la Maternité de Paris [Foundation of the Pavilion of Sick Infants at the Maternity of Paris] , by M. Henry, Revue des Maladies de l’Enfance, Vol. 15, pp. 142-154, 1908.
Infant Mortality, by Edwin E. Graham, 1908.
Melaena Neonatorum with Report of a Case Cured by Transfusion, by Samuel W. Lambert, 1908.
The Care of Premature Infants, with Special Reference to the Use of Home-Made Incubators, by Jennings C. Litzenberg, 1908.
A Study of the Caloric Needs of Premature Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1911.
Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn, by Robert M. Green and John B. Swift, 1911.
The Baby-Tents of Chicago, by Frank W. Allin, 1911.
The Best Means of Combating Infant Mortality, by Abraham Jacobi, 1912.
Apparatus for Collecting Infants’ Blood for the Wassermann Reaction, by Kenneth D. Blackfan, 1912.
Notes on the Care of Premature Infants, by Roger Durham, 1912.
Infant Mortality, Ancient and Modern, An Historical Sketch, by L. Emmett Holt, 1913.
Enfants Prématurés – Leur puériculture par des couveuses publiques, by Casati de Montgolfier,1913.
Management of Delicate and Premature Infants in the Home, by H. M. McClanahan, 1914.
The Sloane Hospital Incubator, by Edwin Cragin, from JAMA, V63 N11, 1914
An Electric-Heated Water-Jacketed Infant Incubator and Bed, Julius H. Hess, 1915.
The Longitudinal Sinus as the Place of Preference in Infancy for Intravenous Aspirations and Injections, Including Transfusion, by Henry F. Helmholz, 1915.
The Hospital Care of Premature Infants, by L. E. La Fetra, 1916.
The Care and Feeding of the Premature Infant, by Alan Brown and Ruggles George, 1917.
Solving the Problem of Infant Mortality, by Burton J. Hendrick, 1917.
Pierre Budin and His Work, Maternal and Child Welfare, London, 1918.
An Efficient and Inexpensive Incubator, by Herbert Thoms, 1919.
Heated Bed for Transportation of Premature Infants, Julius H. Hess, 1923.
Transfusion through the Umbilical Vein in Hemorrhage of the New-Born, J. Buren Sidbury, 1923.
Care of the New-Born in the First Weeks of Life, by E. J. Huenekens, 1923.
Le Nourrisson, Revue d’Hygiéne et de Pathologie de las Premiér Enfance, by A. Marfan (Editor),1924
Antenatal and Neonatal Protection of the Infant, by Jacob Sobel, 1926.
The Prevention and Treatment of Asphyxia in the New-Born, by Yandell Henderson, Ph.D., 1928.
Treatment of Asphyxia in the New-Born, by Paluel J. Flagg, M.D., 1928.
Oxygen Unit for Premature and Very Young Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1934.
Éloge du professeur Adophe Pinard (1844-1934), by L. Portes, 1943. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / National Library of France. (French)
An Incubator for Infants, by Charles C. Chapple, 1938.
Beginner’s Luck (Martin Couney at the NY World’s Fair), The Family Circle, 1939
A County Program for the Care of Prematures, by H. R. O’Brien and Marion I. Murphy, American Journal of Public Health, January, 1941.
Clinical Assessment of Gestational Age in the Newborn, by Lilly M.S. Dubowitz, 1970.
Clinical Assessment of Gestational Age in the Newborn, by Lilly M.S. Dubowitz, 1970.
Patron of the Preemies, by A. J. Liebling, 1939. Reprinted by the permission of Russell & Volkening as agents for the author. Copyright © 1939 by A. J. Liebling, copyright renewed 1967 by Norma Stonehill.
Surgical Ligation of a Patent Ductus Arteriosus, by Robert E. Gross and John P. Hubbard, 1939.
The Worlds Fair, by John Zahorsky, 1949.
Quick, Another Baby’s Here!, by Glenhill Cameron, Colliers, 1950.
A Transport Service for Premature Babies in New York City, by Margaret A. Losty et al, American Journal of Nursing, 1950.
Chicago Plan for Care of Premature Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1951.
A Proposal for a New Method of Evaluation of the Newborn Infant, by Virginia Apgar, 1953.
Experiences Gained in a Thirty-Year Study of Prematurely Born Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1953.
Surface properties in relation to atelectasis and hyaline membrane disease, by Mary Ellen Avery and Jere Mead 1959.
Clinical Assessment of Gestational Age in the Newborn, by Lilly M.S. Dubowitz, 1970.
Perspectives in Perinatology, Present and Future, by Louis Gluck, 1974
Phototherapy, by R. H. Dobbs and R. J. Cremer, 1975.
Incubator-Baby Side Shows, by William A. Silverman, 1979. Reproduced by permission of Pediatrics.
Postscript to Incubator-Baby Side Shows, by William A. Silverman, 1980. Reproduced by permission of Pediatrics.
Martin Couney’s Story Revisited, by the AAP Perinatal Section Ad Hoc Committee on Perinatal History, 1997. Reproduced by permission of Pediatrics.

Classic Books in Neonatal Medicine (Sorted by Date)

The Boke of Chyldren, by Thomas Phaire, 1545.
De Morbis Puerorum, or, A Treatise of the Diseases of Children, by Robert Pemell, 1653.
De Morbis Acutis Infantum, by Walter Harris, 1693. (This printing is from 1720, Latin) Source: Wellcome Collection.
De Morbis Acutis Infantum, by Walter Harris, translated into English as An Exact Inquiry into the Diseases of Infants by William Cockburn in 1693, this printing is from 1694. Source: Internet Archive.
De Morbis Infantum , by Richard Conyers, 1729.
Foundling Hospital, London: “An account of the hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children…” 1749.
Of the Management of new-born Children, with the Diseases to which they are subject, from A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Midwifery, Volume I, Fourth Edition, by William Smellie, 1762.
An Essay on the Diseases Most Fatal to Infants, by George Armstrong, 1767. Source: Wellcome Collection.
A Treatise on the Diseases of Children, by Michael Underwood, 1784. Source: Wellcome Library.
Traité de l’Ictère ou Jaunisse des Enfants de Naissance [Treatise on Icterus or Jaundice of the Newborn, 2nd edition] , by Baumes, Thimotée, 1785.
A Treatise on the Diseases of Children, Revised and Expanded (2 volumes), by Michael Underwood,1789. Source: Wellcome Library.
Observations on the Mortality and Physical Management of Children, by John Roberton, 1827. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Treatment of the Child, from Treatise on Midwifery, by A. I. Coffin, 1878.
On the Wasting Diseases of Infants and Children, by Eustache Smith, 1885.
Hygiene of the Nursery, by Louis Starr, 2nd edition, 1889. Source: Google Books.
The Ailments of Early Infancy, chapter 11 of A Handbook of Obstetrical Nursing, by Anna M. Fullerton, 1891. Source: Library of Congress.
Pediatrics: The Hygienic and Medical Treatment of Children, by T. M. Rotch, 1895.
Infant Feeding by Artificial Means, by S. H. Sadler, Second Edition, 1896. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Diseases of Infancy and Childhood, by L. Emmett Holt, 1898.
Le Nourrisson, by Pierre Budin, Paris, 1900 [French]
Atlas und Grudriss der Kinderheilkunde [Atlas and Outline of Pediatrics], by R. Hecker and J. Trumpp, 1905. German (original), English, French.
The Incubator Baby, by Ellis Parker Butler, 1906.
The Nursling, by Pierre Budin, English translation of 1907, text document.
The Nursling, by Pierre Budin, English translation of 1907, scanned document. Source: Wellcome Collection. ,
Infant Feeding by Artificial Means, by S. H. Sadler, 1909.
Infant Care, Children’s Bureau (U.S. Department of Labor), 1914. Source: Georgetown Univ.
Premature and Congenitally Diseased Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1922. Text document.
Premature and Congenitally Diseased Infants, by Julius H. Hess, 1922. Scanned book. Source: Google Books.
Infant Feeding: A Handbook for the Practitioner, by Julius H. Hess, 1924.
The Premature Infant, Its Medical and Nursing Care, by Julius H. Hess and Evelyn C. Lundeen, 1941.
Infant Care, Children’s Bureau (Social Security Administration), 1945. Source: Google Books.
Premature Infants: A Manual for Physicians, by Ethel C. Dunham, 1948.
Retrolental Fibroplasia: A Modern Parable, by William A. Silverman, 1980.
Historical Review and Recent Advances in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, edited by George F. Smith, MD and Dharmapuri Vidyasagar, MD, 1980.

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Last Updated on 10/13/25