William Montague Cobb, Revolutionary Change Maker in Physical Anthropology

Figure 1: Museum panel on William Montague Cobb (Source: Sociological Cinema)

 

William Montague Cobb (Figure 1) is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the modern discipline of Physical (Biological) Anthropology, but he is so much more than that.  He is also lauded as the first African American Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology, a title he alongside the moniker of the “only” until after 1953, Civil Rights Activist, Award Winner, and published author.  He accomplished so much in his lifetime, which is incredible, but he did all of this and more in a time when the odds were heavily stacked against him simply because he was Black.  This blog post will address William Montague Cobb’s history and accomplishments, including discussing the challenges he faced and overcame along the way.

 

Cobb was born in 1904 in Washington, D.C. to a family of modest means.  Growing up he was fascinated with human variation and the idea of “races”, which is what eventually drew him to the field of physical anthropology, but it was his strong desire to help people that led him to pursue medicine.  When he first entered the Washington, D.C. public education system he was surprised and angered to find out that he would not be attending the local school nearest to his home, which was a White-only school.  He could not understand how and why human variation was used to divide and exploit people rather than it being celebrated and praised.  His experiences with prejudice and racism did not discourage him but instead strengthened his resolve to make a positive change in the world.

 

He pursued his undergraduate education at Amherst College.  He embraced the liberal arts education he received, throwing himself equally into his biological and physical sciences studies and the humanities and social sciences.  He excelled in the classroom as well as in athletics.  He won several championship titles in cross country and boxing.  Upon completion of his Bachelors degree in 1925 he earned a scholarship to a prestigious biological laboratory and eventually caught the attention of a Biology faculty member working at Howard University.  Under his supervision Cobb conducted independent research in embryology, and he was later encouraged to pursue his medical studies at Howard University’s Medical School.  To pay for his medical school training he worked several jobs, first as a waiter and later as a farm laborer.  Both experiences provided him more first-hand knowledge of the mistreatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), furthering his resolve to make a difference.

 

Near the end of his studies at Howard University’s Medical School he was offered a full-time position at the institution, which he accepted and started after he graduated a year later.  It was serendipitous that changes at Howard University would lead him to pursue further study in anatomy and physical anthropology at Western Reserve University, where he was supervised by some of the leading physical anthropologists of the period.  This is important because at that time many physical anthropologists was focused on proving biological determinism and the inferiority of BIPOC, but the scholars Cobb worked with were working toward disproving this dominant idea.  Learning all he could Cobb took up the path he had always intended on following and actually began to lead the way for demonstrating that there were no biologically sound differences among racial groups, and he actually took the very evidence that scholars used to support that inaccurate assumption to show how it could also support BIPOC excellence.  Ultimately, his hard work refuted the biological determinism models, ushering in a new and current paradigm present within the discipline.

 

Cobb did not stop there, however.  He used his medical expertise and paired it with his newfound physical anthropological knowledge to continue his groundbreaking research.  This time he focused on health disparities and prejudice within the medical communities.  He successfully demonstrated the effects of racism and prejudice on negative health outcomes, advocating for more equal and equitable patient care and treatment.  He used this to advocate for the inclusion of Black doctors and medical staff in predominantly White hospitals and medical facilities, which eventually happened within his lifetime.

 

He eventually went on to establish more opportunities of BIPOC.  He established the first research facility to train Black students in physical anthropology at Howard University, which continues on to this day.  Between his work at Howard’s Medical School and physical anthropology facility he trained over 6000 students within his lifetime, earning him the first to be honored as the Distinguished Professor at Howard University, awarded to him in 1969.  Upon retirement he continued working in esteemed visiting professorship positions throughout various prestigious university across the United States.

 

In addition to his achievements in teaching in higher education Cobb accomplished many more significant activities.  He is credited with publishing over 1000 publications.  He was the leader for various organizations, including serving as the first African American President for the American Association of Physical Anthropology from 1958-1959, President of the NAACP from 1976-1982, and the President of the Anthropological Society of Washington.  He was the editor of the Journal of the National Medical Association for 28 years.  He was also the recipient of over 100 awards for his work in Civil Rights and physical anthropology.

 

William Montague Cobb’s successes are numerous and incredible.  They are even more so when it is recognized that he was the first to achieve several of these accomplishments, largely because of the cultural environments he worked within.  He achieved immense success despite the challenges and obstacles put in his way, and he used his achievements to make it easier for those who came after him to achieve more than he ever did.  His greatness should never be forgotten so they can inspire subsequent generations to continue on with his legacy, which is just what he wanted and the best way to honor his memory.

 

References

Douglass, M. (1992). The legacy of William Montague Cobb, MD, PhD (1904-1990). Journal of the National Medical Association, 885-887.

Rankin-Hill, L. M., & Blakely, M. L. (1994). W. Montague Cobb (1904–1990): Physical Anthropologist, Anatomist, and Activist. American Anthropologist, 74-96.

Watkins, R. (2007). Knowledge from the Margins: W. Montague Cobb’s Pioneering Research in Biocultural Anthropology. American Anthropologist, 109(1), 186–196.