Dwight Joyce Ingle (September 4, 1907 – July 28, 1978) was an American physiologist and endocrinologist who was the chairman of the

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

department at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. His obituary in the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

' ''Biographical Memoirs'' described him as "a first-rank, pioneering scientist in a new and uncharted field .e. endocrinology">endocrinology.html" ;"title=".e. endocrinology">.e. endocrinology" Ingle is known for his development of a bioassay for adrenocortical hormones in rats that was used to purify cortisone. He conducted much of the research that led to the development of this assay while working at the company Upjohn. He later resigned from Upjohn after the company's owner insisted on marketing a compound that showed no activity when tested with Ingle's own assay. He also conducted pioneering research on the

ergogenic Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

effects of exposure to

glucocorticoid Glucocorticoids (or, less commonly, glucocorticosteroids) are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor that is present in almost every vertebra ...

s. He was also known for his controversial views on

race and intelligence Discussions of race and intelligence—specifically regarding claims of differences in intelligence along racial lines—have appeared in both popular science and academic research since the modern concept of race was first introduced. With th ...

, arguing in 1961 that "there are reasons for thinking that racial differences in intelligence may be real", and for his criticisms of desegregation efforts, arguing that "the random mixing of races in schools and housing... asneither scientifically sound nor morally right." When weighing in on the 'population problem' and the debate on federally funded sterilization of welfare beneficiaries, he is quoted as saying, "millions of people are unqualified for parenthood and should remain childless." As such, he was a well-known

eugenicist Eugenics is a set of largely discredited beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetics, genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter the frequency of various human Phenotype, phenotypes by ...

. Ingle was the founding

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of '' Perspectives in Biology and Medicine'', which was the first academic journal dedicated exclusively to the publication of

essays An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

. He served as the president of the

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed t ...

from 1959 to 1960. He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, and a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingle, Dwight Joyce 1907 births 1978 deaths Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American physiologists American endocrinologists American eugenicists Race and intelligence controversy Scientists from Idaho University of Chicago faculty University of Idaho alumni University of Minnesota alumni American academic journal editors Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Latah County, Idaho 20th-century American scientists