I read it when it came out and was much impressed. But I was young. I found out later that she played fast and loose with other people's research data, particularly James DeWitt's regarding pheasants and DDT. According to Carson, DeWitt's research indicated that "exposure to DDT, even when doing no observable harm to the birds, may seriously affect reproduction. Quail into whose diet DDT was introduced throughout the breeding season survived and even produced normal numbers of fertile eggs. But few of the eggs hatched." DeWitt in fact reported no difference in egg hatching between the birds that were fed DDT and those that weren't. Instead, what he reported was that pheasants that were fed DDT hatched about 50 percent more eggs than "control" pheasants. Carson made no mention of this. There is much else - her prediction of a cancer epidemic did not pan out, either - but this will do to demonstrate why I no longer hold her book in high regard. (Oh, and as regards raptors and DDT, their numbers were actually increasing during the years of greatest DDT use, owing to more stringent restrictions on hunting them.)
I've heard similar arguments concerning Carson's data, not to mention the veracity of her facts and sources. I think Martin elected to include this one in the list of Fifty Great Books for the simple reason that, in many ways, it was the first book to sound the environmental warning bells we're now hearing in the ringing in our ears.
It does raise an interesting question, though, for we who are at the mercy of mosquitoes in North America; would WNv be a problem if she hadn't come down so hard and heavy on spraying? (And, since spraying's all but verboten, why haven't our scientists developed a vaccine against the virus?)
But, thanks for this update on the truth, Frank; I'll see if I can find a used copy at the Drivers' Licence Renewal Office when I visit next week (since it's that time of year and all the leaves have fallen, here).
Never mind. At least, Spring's coming to Australia; they'll be able to keep warm when oil prices spurt sky-high. See? I'm still so upbeat (from da head to de feat).
Oh, I don't think anyone could rationally deny the importance of the book. Lots of important books are daft. Case in point: Das Kapital. The sad thing has been the transformation of the conservation movement into contemporary environmentalism. My experience has been that the people who know the environment best are those who work in it - fishermen, loggers, etc. - not those who simply vacation there, or watch it on National Geographic specials.
I read it when it came out and was much impressed. But I was young. I found out later that she played fast and loose with other people's research data, particularly James DeWitt's regarding pheasants and DDT. According to Carson, DeWitt's research indicated that "exposure to DDT, even when doing no observable harm to the birds, may seriously affect reproduction. Quail into whose diet DDT was introduced throughout the breeding season survived and even produced normal numbers of fertile eggs. But few of the eggs hatched." DeWitt in fact reported no difference in egg hatching between the birds that were fed DDT and those that weren't. Instead, what he reported was that pheasants that were fed DDT hatched about 50 percent more eggs than "control" pheasants. Carson made no mention of this. There is much else - her prediction of a cancer epidemic did not pan out, either - but this will do to demonstrate why I no longer hold her book in high regard. (Oh, and as regards raptors and DDT, their numbers were actually increasing during the years of greatest DDT use, owing to more stringent restrictions on hunting them.)
ReplyDeleteOh, and in the meantime one million people die annually from malaria, in large measure because of restrictions upon the use of DDT.
ReplyDeleteI've heard similar arguments concerning Carson's data, not to mention the veracity of her facts and sources. I think Martin elected to include this one in the list of Fifty Great Books for the simple reason that, in many ways, it was the first book to sound the environmental warning bells we're now hearing in the ringing in our ears.
ReplyDeleteIt does raise an interesting question, though, for we who are at the mercy of mosquitoes in North America; would WNv be a problem if she hadn't come down so hard and heavy on spraying? (And, since spraying's all but verboten, why haven't our scientists developed a vaccine against the virus?)
But, thanks for this update on the truth, Frank; I'll see if I can find a used copy at the Drivers' Licence Renewal Office when I visit next week (since it's that time of year and all the leaves have fallen, here).
Never mind. At least, Spring's coming to Australia; they'll be able to keep warm when oil prices spurt sky-high. See? I'm still so upbeat (from da head to de feat).
Oh, I don't think anyone could rationally deny the importance of the book. Lots of important books are daft. Case in point: Das Kapital. The sad thing has been the transformation of the conservation movement into contemporary environmentalism. My experience has been that the people who know the environment best are those who work in it - fishermen, loggers, etc. - not those who simply vacation there, or watch it on National Geographic specials.
ReplyDelete