Ernest Just was a pioneer in the study of human egg fertilization, artificial parthenogenesis, the relationship of bacteria to human cells, and the effect of environment on cell division. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Just was born the oldest of three children on August 14, 1883. His mother, Mary Matthews Just, opened a private religious school, where she taught her son. His father, Frazier Just, a dock worker and wharf builder, died in 1887, when Just was only four years old. Just learned early that he would have to work in the fields to help his mother support the family.

In 1900, having completed six years of education at the Industrial School in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Just worked his way to New York aboard a coastal steamer. He studied at the Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, where he edited the school paper and led the debate club. He studied...