St矇phane ?tienne Tarnier (April 29, 1828 - November 23, 1897) was a French obstetrician. Tarnier studied and practiced medicine in Paris, and is often considered the dean of French obstetrics during the second half of the 19th century. He is remembered for his work involving the perinatal aspects of obstetrics, and in particular, the treatment of premature infants. In the 1870s he realized that keeping a constant temperature was not sufficient for a premature infant's survival. He believed that isolation, hygiene, appropriate feeding, and a warm, humid environment were also necessary. Inspired by a device used to incubate poultry, Tarnier introduced prototypes of infant incubators in 1881. These devices were basically wooden boxes with glass lids and compartments that contained hot-water bottles. In the 1880s, Pierre-Victor-Adolphe Auvard made modifications to Tarnier's conveuse. The :Auvard incubator" was an inexpensive device of simple design that soon became widely popular, and variants of this incubator were still in use into the 20th century. He died in 1897 at the age of 69. No photographer credited, undated.