How biological form is generated remains one of the most fascinating but elusive challenges for science. Moreover, it is widely documented in contemporary literature that development is tightly coordinated. The idea that such development is governed by a coordinating field of force, the morphogenetic field, and its position in embryology research paradigms, is traced in this article. Empirical evidences for field phenomena are described, ranging from bioelectromagnetic effects, morphology, transplantation, regeneration, and other data. Applications of medical potential including treatment of (...) cancer, birth defects, and wound healing are highlighted. The article hypothesizes that distinct morphological forms may have distinct field parameters. Experimentally tractable field parameters may thus provide an exciting research program for probing morphogenesis and phylogenetic diversity. (shrink)