DDT, Silent Spring, and the Rise of Environmentalism

No single event played a greater role in the birth of modern environmentalism than the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" and its assault on insecticides. This collection of documents, the first of its kind, traces shifting attitudes toward DDT and pesticides in general through a variety of sources: excerpts from scientific studies and government reports, advertisements from industry journals, articles from popular magazines, and the famous "Fable for Tomorrow" from "Silent Spring". Beginning with attitudes toward nature at the turn of the twentieth century, the book moves through the use and early regulation of pesticides; the introduction and early success of DDT; the discovery of its environmental effects; and the uproar over "Silent Spring". It ends with recent debates about DDT as a potential solution to malaria in Africa. These texts allow readers to see how scientists, pesticide manufacturers, conservationists, and ordinary citizens approached this issue and how profoundly their attitudes changed from the 1890s to the present. Thomas Dunlap is professor of history at Texas A & M University. He is the author of four books including "Faith in Nature: Environmentalism as Religious Quest" and "DDT: Scientists, Citizens, and Public Policy".