Meeting Abstract

30.1  Sunday, Jan. 5 08:00  The Inception of Field Endocrinology MOORE, MC; Univ. of Delaware, Newark mcmoore@udel.edu

Today Field Endocrinology, or Ecological Endocrinology as it is now more commonly known, is a well-established, vibrant discipline. This integrative discipline was pioneered by John Wingfield in the 1970’s. This talk will take an anecdotal approach to reviewing the challenges and obstacles that had to be overcome to launch this new, integrative discipline in the early years. What arguments were advanced against this approach? How was this new discipline received, especially in the emerging climate of reductionistic, molecular biology of the 1970’s? How did the field overcome the “falling between the cracks” problem faced by any integrative approach? Initially the approach was rooted in the paradigms of laboratory endocrinology. When did it switch to an approach more centered on field biology and begin to define its own questions? What personalities played key roles in shaping the directions of this new field? What seminal papers defined the directions of the field?