Programming cell death in the 1960s: developmental biology beyond dichotomy

• The origin of the idea of a program in controlling cell death is elucidated.
• The role of developmental biology in the growth of research on cell death is analyzed.
• The correlation between life and death in cell death research of the 1960s is illuminated.
• The correlation between the normal and the pathological in cell death research of the 1960s is examined.

Programmed cell death (PCD) has been one of the most significant topics in modern biomedical research. Its broad importance in many biological and pathological phenomena, including morphogenesis, autoimmune disease, and cancer, demonstrates that its origin deserves a historical examination. By analyzing the role of developmental biology of the 1960s in shaping the notion of a program, this paper explains the emergence of a close correlation between not only life and death, but also the normal and the pathological in the postwar study of cell death.