Charles Haskell Danforth (30 November 1883 – 10 January 1969) was an American anatomist and professor at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. He took a special interest in problems of

heredity Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...

and

comparative anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

. Danforth was born in

Oxford, Maine Oxford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,229 at the 2020 census. Oxford is home to the Oxford Plains Speedway, the annual Oxford County Fair, and Oxford Casino. The town includes the village of Welchville. ...

to James and Mary Haskell. He had an early interest in botany growing up in

Norway, Maine Norway is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,077 at the 2020 census. It is home to Lake Pennesseewassee, a recreation area. History Fertile soil and abundant fauna surrounding the Pennessewasse Lake supported ...

. An uncle, Frank Danforth passed on a copy of Darwin's ''Animals and Plants under Domestication'' to him at the age of twelve. His observation on dimorphism in ''

Tiarella cordifolia ''Tiarella cordifolia'', the heart-leaved foamflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae. The specific name ''cordifolia'' means "with heart-shaped leaves", a characteristic shared by all taxa of ''Tiarella'' in eastern N ...

'' made around the age of twelve was published in 1911. His father's friends included the brother of Professor Sidney I. Smith and the brother-in-law of Professor A.E. Verrill. When he wrote to Professor Verrill seeking advice about becoming a naturalist, he received the response that he should not "unless you can't help it." Educated at Norway Liberal Institute, he went to

Tufts College Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

earning a BA in 1908 and an MA in 1910. He then moved to

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

where he received a PhD in 1912 for his work on the comparative anatomy of ''

Polyodon The American paddlefish (''Polyodon spathula,'' also known as a Mississippi paddlefish, spoon-billed cat, or spoonbill) is a species of ray-finned fish. It is the only extant taxon, living species of paddlefish (Polyodontidae). This family is m ...

''. After serving as an instructor in anatomy until 1914, he became an associate at Washington University in St. Louis in 1914, becoming associate professor in 1916. In the summer of 1917 he taught ornithology at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

lab on Flathead Lake. He joined

in 1921 under A.W. Meyer and became a full professor in 1923, serving there until his retirement in 1949. Danforth published nearly 125 papers, many influenced by naturalistic observation. Sitting in a theatre, Danforth noticed the hairy hands of a person seated in front of him and after comparing his own hair distribution took up a study of hair growth patterning on the back of the hands and fingers. He also examined hair in greater detail. He also examined heredity using breeding experiments in rats, chickens, pheasants, and cats. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Danforth examined the morphometrics of 104 thousand soldiers discharged from the American army, which has been used to compare physical stature changes over time. He married science teacher Florence Wenonah Garrison in 1914 and they had three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danforth, Charles Haskell 1883 births 1969 deaths American anatomists Tufts University alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni Washington University in St. Louis faculty Stanford University faculty