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Dwight Ingle

Dwight Joyce Ingle was an American physiologist and endocrinologist who was the chairman of the physiology department at the University of Chicago. His obituary in the National Academy of Sciences' Biographical Memoirs described him as "a first-rank, pioneering scientist in a new and uncharted field [i.e. endocrinology]."

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Dwight Ingle
Born
Dwight Joyce Ingle

(1907-09-04)September 4, 1907
DiedJuly 28, 1978(1978-07-28) (aged 70)
EducationUniversity of Idaho, University of Minnesota
Known forDevelopment of a bioassay that allowed the purification of cortisone
AwardsElected to the National Academy of Sciences in 19631
Scientific career
FieldsEndocrinology, physiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago
ThesisThe reversal of fatigue in the adrenalectomized rat by glucose and other agents (1941)
William Thomas Heron

Dwight Joyce Ingle (September 4, 1907 – July 28, 1978) was an American physiologist and endocrinologist who was the chairman of the physiology department at the University of Chicago. His obituary in the National Academy of Sciences' Biographical Memoirs described him as "a first-rank, pioneering scientist in a new and uncharted field [i.e. endocrinology]."1

Ingle is known for his development of a bioassay for adrenocortical hormones in rats that was used to purify cortisone.2 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.3 He also conducted pioneering research on the ergogenic effects of exposure to glucocorticoids.4

He was also known for his controversial views on race and intelligence, arguing in 1961 that "there are reasons for thinking that racial differences in intelligence may be real",5 and for his criticisms of desegregation efforts, arguing that "the random mixing of races in schools and housing...[was] neither scientifically sound nor morally right."6

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."7 As such, he was a well-known eugenicist.8

Ingle was the founding editor-in-chief of Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, which was the first academic journal dedicated exclusively to the publication of essays.3 He served as the president of the Endocrine Society from 1959 to 1960.2 He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.9

References

References

  1. Visscher, M. B. (1992). "Dwight Joyce Ingle: September 4, 1907-July 28, 1978" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences. 61: 247–268. PMID 11616224.
  2. "Hall of Presidents". Endocrine Society. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  3. "Editorial: The Dwight J. Ingle Memorial Award". Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. 37 (4): 471–472. 1994. doi:10.1353/pbm.1994.0040. ISSN 1529-8795.
  4. Morrison-Nozik, Alexander; Anand, Priti; Zhu, Han; Duan, Qiming; Sabeh, Mohamad; Prosdocimo, Domenick A.; Lemieux, Madeleine E.; Nordsborg, Nikolai; Russell, Aaron P. (2015-12-08). "Glucocorticoids enhance muscle endurance and ameliorate Duchenne muscular dystrophy through a defined metabolic program". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (49): E6780–E6789. Bibcode:2015PNAS..112E6780M. doi:10.1073/pnas.1512968112. PMC 4679037. PMID 26598680.
  5. "View Links Races and Intelligence". The New York Times. 1961-07-24. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  6. Tucker, William H. (1996). The Science and Politics of Racial Research. University of Illinois Press. p. 155. ISBN 9780252065606.
  7. Ingle, Dwight J. Who Should Have Children? An Environmental and Genetic Approach. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill. pp. xii.
  8. Tucker, William H. (2024) "The Bell Curve' in Perspective", Palgrave Macmillan, p.67
  9. "Dwight J. Ingle". BioScience. 16 (10): 705. 1966-10-01. doi:10.1093/bioscience/16.10.705. ISSN 0006-3568.