Black biologist provides early insight on insects

Two years after the end of the Civil War, Charles Henry Turner was born in Cincinnati — the son of a janitor at a local black Baptist church. Twenty years later, this janitor’s son was being hailed as one of the University of Cincinnati’s brightest biologists. And he went on to become only the second black in the county to earn a doctoral degree in zoology.

In 1891, Turner was one of the major contributors to the newly founded Journal of Comparative Neurology. His reports on the avian brain covered 99 pages and included more than 100 drawings. More remarkable, this research was done as part of Turner’s undergraduate studies — not research toward a graduate degree.

Turner’s early inspiration was his mother, Adeline Campbell Turner. She was a practical nurse who recognized her young son’s fascination with insects and other small animals. Adeline encourage his interest in science and made sure there were numerous books in the house which served as a home library.

After enrolling at UC, Turner’s ultimate research goals were shaped by the arrival of a promising young scholar named Clarence Luther Herrick in 1888. Herrick quickly became one of the most popular professors in what was then known as the department of natural history. Herrick became interested in the nervous system after spending a year studying in Germany. With his students, research focused on the differences in the nervous systems of birds, rodents, reptiles and fish.

It was Herrick who went on to found the Journal of Comparative Neurology where Turner’s early research was featured. Turner continued to contribute many important papers on the significance of brain size, insect behavior and crustacean nervous systems. One of his best-known works describes the unusual behavior of ants, which often follow a direct path back to their nests, but then wander in wide arcs before entering the nests. This phenomenon was eventually named “Turner’s circling.” Turner also demonstrated that cockroaches learn by trial and error, but forget what they’ve learned fairly quickly.

After earning his master’s degree at UC in 1892, Turner took a position as professor of biology at Clark University in Atlanta. In 1907, he received his Ph.D. with honors from the University of Chicago.

From 1908-1923, Turner may have had his greatest impact as an educator as well as a researcher. Turner spent those years as an instructor of biology at Sumner High School in St. Louis. From today’s perspective, that might appear to have been a step down. However, Sumner was recognized as the finest black high school in the country and perhaps the finest high school of any color. The faculty included the first black to earn a doctoral degree in the United States and the first black Phi Beta Kappa.

Most of Turner’s important research on insect behavior was conducted at Sumner, but Turner’s interests expanded widely during his tenure in St. Louis. He became active in the fight for civil rights and social services for blacks. Turner also expanded his literary efforts beyond scientific journals. He wrote several nature stories for children and left behind several unfinished poems and a novel at the time of his death February 14, 1923.

Turner’s legacy remains today in the scientific literature and in our educational system. St. Louis built a school for the physically disabled after Turner’s death and named it his honor. It remains open today as the Turner Middle School — a tribute to the researcher who never forgot his obligation to teach.