Renowned biologist Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941) was an outspoken
advocate for the classical embryologist’s view of the cell; he believed
that all the parts of the cell, but especially the cytoplasm, have important
roles to play in the process of development, whereby a one-celled zygote becomes
a many-celled animal. In opposition to geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan, Just
formulated a hypothesis for how the cell works in development, one that gave a
more dominant role to cytoplasmic (instead of nuclear) factors. This paper
argues that, in creating his hypothesis, Just applied insights from the African
American intellectual community in which he was immersed, much as Charles Darwin
applied insights from British political economist Thomas R. Malthus in
formulating his theory of evolution by natural selection. This in no way
diminishes the scientific validity of Just’s (or Darwin’s)
hypothesis. Rather, it highlights Just’s creativity and, as such, points
to the importance of having diversity in science.