On Charles Atwood Kofoid (1865-1947): The good, the bad, and the ugly

Abstract

Charles Atwood Kofoid was a scientist of considerable stature and a key figure in the development of protistology in the United States of America during first half of the 20th century. Today he is known mainly for his detailed taxonomic monographs on protists of the marine plankton, specifically dinoflagellates and tintinnid ciliates. Lesser known today is the wide range of Kofoid's work in protistology. Little known is his responsibility for one of the great mistakes of protistology: the existence of a protistan nervous system, the "neuromortorium". Largely unknown is Kofoid's enthusiastic involvement in the eugenics movement. Here, following a brief biography, I will provide a review of Kofoid's enduring contribution to protistology, "the good", then the story of the neuromotorium, "the bad", and finally an account of Kofoid's implication in the eugenics movement, "the ugly".

Keywords: Dinoflagellates; Eugenics; History of protistology; Neuromotorium; Plankton; Racism; Tintinnid ciliates.