An interesting article on DDT and maleria

[mmcnealy]

Found this old article from the New Yorker on Fred Soper, DDT and maleria. 

Did you know that DDT helped win WWII? No, read the article, its an interesting history lesson in how maleria used to be a big killer in other places than Africa, oh like southern Italy and the southern US, and how DDT has saved millions of lives.  Also shows how too much of a good thing can be bad.

http://gladwell.com/2001/2001_07_02_a_ddt.htm

Comments

[katanubis.livejournal.com]

They are looking into using DDT again, as malaria is wiping out so many people still. It was taken off the market because of concerns of insect resistance (legitimate, as the article points out) and also because it was said that DDT was making the shells of birds too thin. Well, it turns out that it *wasn't* the DDT which was making the shells thin, but something more "natural" which is why they're looking into using it again (especially in places like eastern Africa and the Mediterranean.)

Unfortunately, the article about it that I read was a print one in one of my medical journals, not online.

[mmcnealy.livejournal.com]

Cool, I hadn't heard that about DDT being used again. I know that malaria is a huge killer in Africa so it would be great to bring it under control and save lives.

[noxcat.livejournal.com]

My Dad came back from WWII with Malaria. He'd been stationed in Italy by the end of the war.

[merastra.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting that. It was a good read.