Rachel Carson 1907-1964 The Balance of Nature Leo R. Sandy

Rachel Carson In her book, Silent Spring, which has sold 25,000 copies a year, American biologist Rachel Carson raised consciousness about the dangers of pesticides She fought cancer and assaults by the chemical industry to raise awareness of toxic agents affecting living beings Carson was born in Springdale, Pennsylvania and lived on a large tract of land that allowed her to explore the woods. Carson also enjoyed writing and had her first story published in a children’s magazine when she was 10 years old In college, she majored in English but was so fascinated with life science, she switched her major to zoology

Carson cont’d After visiting the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, she was awestruck by the ocean and switched her major again to marine zoology, earning a master’s degree in it from John Hopkins University in 1932 She later became the first female biologist ever hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Her love of nature and writing were both satisfied through writing radio programs and brochures about the ocean Her full length book, Under the Sea Wind, was published in 1941 but sold few copies due to the attack on Pearl Harbor that reduced interest in nature-themed books

Carson cont’d Right after WWII, Carson was promoted to editor-in-chief of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s information division Carson’s second book, The Sea Around Us, was published in 1951 and it made the New York Times best-seller list where it stayed for 86 weeks As she became financially secure, she quit her job at the Fish and Wildlife Service and began writing full time Her third book, The Edge of the Sea, published in 1955, immediately became a best seller When Carson’s niece passed away, she adopted her son and encouraged his sense of wonder of nature

Carson cont’d Without her knowing it, Carson’s property was sprayed with the insecticide, DDT, which killed numerous birds in a nearby bird sanctuary Carson then took up the cause against DDT by writing her next book, Silent Spring, where she encouraged pre WWII control of crop-damaging insects through the use of natural predators or insecticides made from plants or minerals After WWII, chemicals came into vogue due to the development of chemical weapons that were also found to kill insects besides people because before using them on people, they were tested on insects

Carson cont’d Powdered DDT was used on soldiers to kill lice but when dissolved in oil it was toxic to all living things and a common cause of liver damage and cancer Carson herself developed breast cancer and received painful radiation treatments but continued to work on her book which she finished in 1962, and it became another best-seller In 1963 Carson was interviewed on CBS Reports over the objections of chemical companies that tried to discredit her, and withdrew funds for the broadcast which nevertheless aired The telecast initiated senate hearings on pesticide use followed by a two-year investigation

Carson cont’d In April 1964, Carson died at a friend’s house on the coast of Maine not long after being fascinated by the butterflies that were flying around her. She was 56 years old In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established, and two years later DDT was banned in the U.S. In 1980, Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. The medal said, “Always concerned, always eloquent, she created a tide of environmental consciousness that has not ebbed”

Carson Quotes It is one of the ironies of our time that, while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without, we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within The ‘control of nature’ is a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man Man, however much he may like to pretend to the contrary, is part of nature The real wealth of the Nation lies in the resources of the earth – soil, water, forests, minerals, and wildlife

Video Biocides: Rachel Carson

References Beller, K., & Chase, H. (2008). Great peacemakers: True stories from around the world. Sedona, AZ: LTS Press Biocides: Rachel Carson: Retrieved from http:// ed.ted.com/on/mlzcc5h1