9781422283226

Chapter 1

Ernest Everett Just

Born: 1883 Died: 1941 Nationality: American Achievements:

“A house divided.” Those are the words Scott Gilbert, a science his- torian, used to describe the field of cell biology in the early 1900s. They are also the same words Abraham Lincoln used to describe the United States during the Civil War. He was referring to the country’s different views on slavery and the rights of black people. Even well after the Civil War ended, however, the United States was still a house divided by racism. In 1907, Ernest Everett Just was an African-American biologist first entering the field. He lived and worked in both of these divided houses. His scientific theories were sometimes controver- sial. Nonetheless, he worked to find answers and information all while struggling against the racism that pervaded the United States well after the Civil War.

Pioneering microbiologist, created new ways at looking at cell structure

13