Charles Manning Child (February 2, 1869 – December 19, 1954) was an American
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
noted for his work on regeneration 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 ...
.
Early life
Child was born on February 2, 1869, in
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's popu ...
, to Charles Chauncy Child and Mary Elizabeth (née Manning) Child. He was the only surviving child to the couple.
Growing up on a family farm in
Higganum,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, Child enjoyed reading.
After graduating from elementary school in 1882, Child attended Middletown High School in
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
, until his graduation in 1886.
Career
Child was accepted to
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
in Middletown. In 1890 he graduated Wesleyan with a
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...
and in 1892 he received a
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
degree from the same university, having served as a graduate assistant in biology at Wesleyan from 1890 to 1892.
Working under
Rudolf Leuckart
Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart (7 October 1822 – 22 February 1898) was a German zoologist born in Helmstedt. He was a pioneer of parasitology research and was widely known for developing a series of illustrated wall charts for use in zo ...
at the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
, Child graduated with a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
in 1894. Upon returning to the United States, he met Lydia Van Meter in 1895, and the couple married in 1899; they had one daughter, Jeannette Manning Child.
He spent the majority of his academic career (1895–1934) at the University of Chicago, where he conducted research on
regeneration, especially on
Coelenterates
Coelenterata is a term encompassing the animal phylum, phyla Cnidaria (coral, corals, Scyphozoa, true jellies, Sea anemone, sea anemones, sea pens, and their relatives) and Ctenophora (comb jellies). The name comes , referring to the hollow body ...
and
flatworms
Platyhelminthes (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") is a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrates commonly called ...
.
In 1915, Child published ''Individuality in Organisms'', which dealt primarily with "the problem of the nature, of the unity, and order in the organism", according to an
American Social Hygiene Association review. He became a professor a year later, a position he held until his retirement in 1937.
Wesleyan awarded Child the honorary D.D. degree in 1928
and also began a two-year stint as the first (Managing) Editor of the scientific journal
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
''Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. The journal publishes original research examining funda ...
.
He became a member of 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 ...
in 1935.
After retiring, Child and his wife moved to Palo Alto, California, in 1939, where he lectured at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. In 1941 Child published ''Patterns and Problems of Development'', which summarized his life work.
After having multiple surgeries due to cancer, Child died on December 19, 1954, in Palo Alto; he was cremated, and the ashes were sent to the Van Meter plot in
Green Mount Cemetery
Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as ma ...
,
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
.
Writing for 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 ...
in 1957, zoologist
Libbie Hyman
Libbie Henrietta Hyman (December 6, 1888 – August 3, 1969), was an American zoologist. She wrote numerous works on invertebrate zoology and the widely used ''A Laboratory Manual for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy'' (1922, revised in 1942).
Lif ...
called Child's devotion to science "of the
purest sort" and "unmarred by personal ambition or striving for
fame and position."
References
External links
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Child, Charles Manning
1869 births
1954 deaths
American zoologists
People from Ypsilanti, Michigan
Deaths from cancer in California
Wesleyan University alumni
Stanford University faculty
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences