Accurate descriptions of the events of mitosis and cytokinesis were available at a time when fascination with the mechanical forces that shape cells and organisms was widespread. Although the genetic basis of development was acknowledged, the physical basis for the arrangements and the form that typify cells and developing organisms was considered an equally important area of investigation among those who were at the forefront of cell and developmental biology in the late years of the 19th century. The concept of Entwicklungsmechanik is generally considered to have originated among German scientists, and much of the early, speculative literature concerning the mechanism of cell division was written for German periodicals by investigators interested in animal development as well as cell biology.

The obvious importance of cell division, as well as the relative ease of observation and the apparent simplicity of the event, captivated the inquiring and imaginative mind and provided a seemingly irresistible temptation into speculation. At one time or another most of the leading cell and developmental biologists of the day either contributed a theory or commented in print on those contributed by others.