THE SILENT SPRING

By Rachel Carson

The silent spring is a book written by a Rachel Carson. This book was published in the year 1962. This book has helped to launch the environmental movement in America. While it was published in the year 1962. The work of the book began in the year 1958. The silent spring is more than just a book, this is a sort of a wakeup call to the people at that point of time and it still one for people at any point of time.

This book has been published for over thirty years but still the relevance of the book has not gone down. This is mainly because the book speaks about the things that are still carried out by the humans. Even now people rely on the insecticides and pesticides to kill the insects affecting their crops only to suffer like mentioned in the book.

The Silent Spring book conveys the message that we all know deep in our hearts but yet we refuse to follows because of many reasons, the message which is simple and crystal clear. We all should protect our mother nature and should do any activities that harm her severely if not it is us that is going to suffer in the end.

Silent Spring book has 17 chapters. Each chapter deals with a specific case or a condition. It can also be some of the happenings in a particular town or a country. But overall the main theme of the book is the devastating effects the harmful chemicals like DDT, Aldrin, and other elements in the insecticides and pesticides that we use to fight against the insects and how much harm it can cause to the nature and ultimately to us.

Each chapter is written in simple language that is easy to understand. There are many examples given in each chapter that shows us how much disastrous events that have taken place to due to the reckless behavior of humans in treating against the nature. Also the author has included the views and ideas of many other scientists, environmentalists, organizations fighting against the pollution, and even states some examples from the layman’s point of view.

The book is also targeted against the chemical industry. The book speaks as to how the chemicals are being marketed as safe and easy to use products easily deceiving the common man to use them. Rachel Carson also shows us the tiniest details of how after spraying the insecticides the insects die and along with them their natural allies, foes, predators and ultimately the very plant that sprayer wanted to protect from insects.

Finally the most important legacy of the Silent Spring is that it has achieved its target of creating the public awareness among the dangers caused to nature by human intervention. The threats she outlined contamination of chemicals in food chain, cancer, genetic damage, death of entire species have reached the audience and made them think how much danger they live with. This is one of the landmark books of the 20th century and still shines even after all these years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

It was in the year of 1958 when Rachel Carson in her 50’s undertook to write the book called the ‘Silent Spring’. Her earlier life was mainly involved in studying and working as a marine biologist. She was also a writer with the U.S fishery and the wildlife service. Her fame raised with the publication of the book ‘The Sea around us’. The royalties from this particular book and as well as the book written before it ‘The edge of the sea’ helped her in the form of royalties to devote her full time in her own writing.

While Rachel Carson was working for the U.S government, she and her fellow colleagues have taken interest into the use of the pesticides and other insecticides. Their use was rampant and widespread and was at an alarming rate which caused major concerns for her as well her colleagues. There was widespread use of the DDT and other long-lasting potions in various agricultural controlled programs. So this shifted her interest towards this and she began writing about this.

At that point she was a well known writer but was having trouble finding the magazines that would publish her work and so she was having the trouble in finding the magazines that would publish her writings as they feared for the loss of the advertisements. So one of the best things to tackle this problem of advertising and simultaneously reach the message to the masses was writing a book. So finally she decided to write the book ‘Silent Spring’. And thus this is how the beginning of the book.

‘Silent Spring’ took over four years. While writing this book and doing the research for it Rachel Carson wanted a different approach to it. The main idea of the book should be communicated to the people, the deepness of the problem, the dangers and the casualties that are suffering should made understood to the people yet it should not be in a language that is difficult to understand and comprehend. She knew very well that the chemical industry would target her as this book speaks about them.

Likely the chemical industry spends hundreds and thousands of dollars to discredit the book and also to malign the author. But all these backfired creating more publicity and hype. And so with this book she had made her point loud and clear. Mr. President Kennedy set up a Committee to study the problem of pesticides. Even after 25 years of its publication the book continues to remind us about the over-organized and over-mechanized age where greed and money rules and how it must be tackled. She has helped people realize how we degrade the planet that we live in.

Silent spring written by Rachel Carson is a book that still has its relevance even in today’s world as she describes the world around us and what we do in the form of spraying with dangerous and toxic chemicals that later come back to harm us in more ways than we ever imagined. This book is a must read for every one irrespective of their profession, or views about nature.

CHAPTER I: A FABLE FOR TOMORROW

A fable for tomorrow mainly talks about the life in the America before and after when the spraying of insecticides and pesticides began. Here the author shifts our attention to the tiny aspects of the nature that we all have experienced in one point of time or the other. It also talks about the things that happen after the nature changes in a way that it had not intended. So this chapter takes us to the sadness and joy that we feel when the nature changes around us and it is us who made the nature change forcefully.

Here in this the author talks about a town in the heart of America where every life form was living in harmony with the other. There are sentences that describe the beauty of the nature in its natural form, like the green fields, the blooming of the orchids, the white clouds, and how in the autumn the color of the leaves changes etc. The author also further speaks about the birds chirping, the seeds flying in the wind, how the fish splashed around happily in the water etc.

The next thing the Rachel Carson talks about is how it all changed. She explains that slowly a change was seen. Like an evil had crept slowly into the nature itself. There was a mysterious disease that swept many chickens away, the cattle getting sick and the death of many sheep’s. Everywhere there was like a shadow of death. The remaining birds too were sick, unable to cry or fly anywhere. There was silence all over the place and a scent of death lingering all over.

The author further talks about this situation giving examples of the hens that laying eggs but most of the eggs not did hatch. It was as if they were born dead. Whatever eggs hatched, the chicken lived only for a few days. The apple trees were blooming and it was time for pollination but there were no bees.

So there will be no fruit in those trees from now on. The road was once clean but now there were too many dead leaves on it. The lake and streams were silent, there were no fish splashing as they had all died. So there were no anglers visiting the lake just to try their luck in catching fish. There were no insects near the lake too, it seemed as if the lake too was dead along with the fishes and was resting.

This was no witchcraft, nor was the town attacked by some people from outside, there was no war in the town, and the people in the town had brought this upon themselves. They destroyed the nature that they live. It was the fault of the people who lived in this town and it is because of this they had to pay the price for their actions.

The author also says that this is a fictional town, but she adds that this can easily be any of the town in anywhere in America or anywhere in the world. There cannot be not even place or community that has not experienced what the author described at least one of them. The author finally ends this chapter that her main purpose in the next chapters is to try and unravel what exactly caused all this and why did we just let this happen only to suffer later.

CHAPTER II: OBLIGATION TO ENDURE

In this chapter the Rachel Carson mainly explains much more about the problem of the pesticides and how they pose a threat to the nature. She has also added various examples as to how exactly the problem arises and how the problem prevails like a form of vicious unbreakable cycle. She also explains about our failure about having necessary resources yet failure to take the necessary action and thus preventing these unnecessary consequences.

In this firstly the author tries to explain that throughout the history of the earth, there has been a constant and continuous interaction with the nature and living beings that live on it. There was clearly a natural balance and harmony to that relationship and it existed as long as life first came to earth but out of all species that lived in the earth only one specie has altered or changed that relationship for his own benefit- humans.

During the past century the nature has deteriorated in an alarming way due to the man’s actions. The most vicious assault of man is on the environment, contamination of air, water and soil. The three main elements required for the life with lethal and dangerous materials. The worst part is that much of the contamination is irrecoverable and irreversible.

There is also an example given that strontium 90 which when released in air through the nuclear explosions comes to earth in form of the rain, drifts down and gets absorbed in the soil which in turn spreads to the plants and from there to the living organisms that feeds on them. From there it comes to the humans which affects the bones and stays in it till the death of the human. Furthermore this particular item cannot be taken away from any form of this cycle.

There are over 500 new chemicals that each and every one of humans and animals bodies needs to adapt every year. These chemicals are in no way inside the biological limits of them. Since 1940’s over 200 chemicals were created for killing insects and other similar species. There is one threat that is as severe as the nuclear war, and that is total contamination of the environment by the man.

The author speaks about the various ecologists that a country have but yet the country does not use their academic and their technical expertise. Their advice, recommendations and solutions are never given much attention inspire of their sincerest attempts. The author has also spoken about how causally the authorities have given permission to use the chemicals without investigating their effect in the land, water and soil.

Another point that Rachel Carson states in this chapter is that the industrial era of today’s world, ruled and dominated by big companies whose main value and mission is to make the dollar at whatever cost. This rule has seldom been changed for almost all the companies. They are quite successful in faking the facts, giving half cooked information and clearly giving false assurances to the public who supports and relies on them.

CHAPER III: ELIXIRS OF DEATH

In this chapter the author mainly explains about the nature of the chemicals itself. She begins the chapter by saying that every human being in the world has come in contact with the chemicals from the day he is born till the day he dies. In less than two decades of their use the chemicals we use have spread throughout the nature. She gives us an example as to how the chemicals mix with the water, that water makes its way back to the streams of ground water. From there again the it comes in contact with the animals and they get contaminated and also the animals that feed on those animals so this becomes like a vicious cycle.

The author also says the industry is the child of the World War II. As it was then there was a sudden rise in the use of chemicals as a deadly weapon emerged. It was also then it was found out that these chemicals were lethal to insects. The main reason for this discovery was insects were used as test subjects. The war may be gone what has remained was the chemical use for getting rid of the insects. Further references of a particular mineral called Arsenic are mentioned in this chapter. Arsenic is a highly toxic material and so has its usage in cases of homicide. Arsenic contaminated environments can cause sickness and death.

The modern day chemicals are also more deadly. They basically fall into two large groups. One is represented by DDT (Chlorinated Carbons). The other group being organic phosphorous insecticides (Malathion and Parathion). DDT was first discovered in the 18 th century but it was widely used as insecticide in 1930’s. DDT is highly toxic and if swallowed it is absorbed slowly through the digestive tract and could be absorbed through lungs also. It affects almost all the parts of the body, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, etc. Also the poison could pass from mother to off spring by breast feeding.

Another deadly hydrocarbon mentioned here is dieldrin that is over 5 times toxic as DDT. If swallowed it enters the nervous systems sending the victim to convulsions. Aldrin is also mentioned as it attacks the cells and tissues and finally Endrin, the most toxic of all the chlorinated hydrocarbons closely related to dieldrin is also mentioned. It has killed enormous number of creatures at one go. There are also examples given about its horrific effects on humans.

There are also mentioning about the organic phosphate insecticides. Malathion and Parathion are equally dangerous. They are used against the insects as well as for removing the unwanted weeds. There are also references made to the weed killing substances like sodium arsenite or other phenols. They have devastating effects on the human body and can even lead to the death. The author mainly wishes to express her fear and shock as to how we are using such dangerous and toxic chemicals in such a simple manner not caring about the consequences that follow.

CHAPTER IV: SURFACE WATERS AND UNDERGROUND SEAS

In this chapter the author mainly explains about the important resource of the nature, the water. Water is the life provider in the nature and is one of the spectacular and astounding gifts of Mother Nature. It is called so because only water has the ability to provide life and clean the dirt’s and makes the life grown. Almost each and every living being in this planet depends on the water for its survival. Here this chapter mainly talks about the pollution of water happening all over.

Off all the natural resources the earth has, water is by far one of the most important resource of them as well as most precious. Earth itself is covered by the water almost more than half by the water, in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, streams etc. however there is a strange paradox to it as 90% of the water in earth is unfit for drinking, agriculture and industry because of the heavy load of the salts. So one of the common problems faced by the world is shortage of water.

The main problem of water pollution comes from polluting the water in the form of radioactive waste from our reactors, laboratories, hospitals, nuclear explosions, waste from dumping of materials from industry, household, chemical sprays applied to crop lands and gardens etc. All these pollution have a serious impact on the water that we drink and use for our activities. A sample of water taken from Pennsylvania showed it had enough insecticide in it to kill a test fish in just 4 hours. The main cause was the water that was draining from the fields of cotton that was sprayed with insecticide.

The water pollution is a wide spread problem not just limited to a particular area. Also it is quite disturbing as there is wide spread contamination of the ground water. It is not at all possible to check on these types of pollutions continuously as they happen everywhere. It is also possible that the water that has been affected from the insecticides seeps through the rocks and then reaches the ground water reserves underneath and the same ground water is used for human consumption. This in turn makes the pollution affect us and our body.

One of the main alarming aspects of the water pollution is that from the very lake or reservoir from where the pollution takes place, it carries all its way to the glass of water that is used for our drinking. Even the United States Public Health Service has expressed serious concerns that the chemicals that pollute water are even more dangerous when it actually enters the human body.

The example of Clear Lake is also mentioned in this chapter. It was quite popular with anglers but it was sprayed with insecticide to clear large populations of gnat. Soon the insecticides killed all the micro organisms thus killing the large fish and other organisms in the process. The big fish that fed on the small fish too were affected and ultimately died. So there always arises a question as to whether to use the insecticides or not and what measures to do to stop the insecticides from reaching the water source. The author’s wishes to communicate the immediate need for stopping the use of insecticides that harm the environment to great extend.

CHAPTER V: REALMS OF THE SOIL

In this chapter the author explains about the second important resource of the earth, the soil. The soil is also another important resource provided by the Mother Nature. Because it from soil all plants grow, it is from soil we produce the crops for our food, herbivores depend on plants, and carnivores depend on the latter. So if there was no soil, there would be no plants, nor any living thing that depends on the plants.

Rachel Carson explains to us that while we may consider soil as the thin layer of patch that covers the ground, spread all over the earth. We are not realizing that our very existence depend on that. And it is also true that soil depends on the life. Soil is an important part in creation of the life. There lies a chain between the soil and the living beings that depend on it. Soil is mainly formed by shattering of the rocks to minute particles.

It is also said that the soil is not in a state of idleness, there is constant change that is taking place within the soil. This process does not have a beginning nor does it have an end. New materials are constantly produced as the rocks disintegrate, as the organic matter decays and the nitrogen gases are brought down by the rain from the skies. At this time there are also materials taken away or borrowed by the use of the living creatures. Small and vast chemical changes are constantly occurring.

Of the larger inhabitants of the soil other than the small micro organisms, none is more important than the earthworm. It is often called as the farmer’s friend. The author mentions about the book written by the Sir Charles Darwin titled the formation of Vegetable Mould, through the action of the worms. It also gives us an understanding about how the worms operate with the soil. He mentions they are the geological agents that transport the soil. The fragments of the rocks are slowly brought down to minute soil particles by these worms.

According to Sir Darwin’s calculations it showed the toil that earthworms might add a layer of soil an inch to an inch and half thick in a 10 year period. The very presence of the earthworms increases the nitrifying powers of the soil bacteria and decreases the polluting of the soil as the waste materials are slowly decomposed and broken down. The excretion of the worms is the pure form of manure for the plants and is enriched by the excretory products.

Rachel Carson says that we must not only be concerned with what is happening with the soil, must we should also consider what is happening to the plants who absorb the harmful insecticides from the soil. It all depends on the type of the soil, the crop and the nature of the insecticide. The author also points out that the carrots absorb more insecticide. So in future it may be analyzed for the checking the level of insecticides in the soil.

CHAPTER VI: EARTHS GREEN MANTLE

Here in this chapter Rachel Carson explains about the soil further more. According to her words water, soil and earths green mantle of plants make up of the world that supports the life (animal and human) on the earth. Yet we humans seldom think about it, we could not exist without the plants that use the energy of the sun to produce the oxygen, the very basic element our life depends on it. The relationship earth’s soil has with the plants and animals are so complex.

Author Rachel Carson gives us an example from a book written by Williamson. Douglas ‘my wilderness: East to Katahdin. In that particular book an example is shown about an incident that happened in Bridge National Forest in Wyoming and it was done by the United States Forest Service. About a thousand acres of lands with sage was sprayed for getting more grassland. But the authorities failed to see the effect it would have on the many species that live there, The Moose who lived in willows, the beaver who lived near the rivers, the trout’s who lived in the river etc.

When Douglas visited that area later, he was shocked to see the current state of the forest. There were no Moose, nor there the willows. The river itself had no life, they were no beavers. The lake without the attention of the beavers had drained away. So there were no trout’s that lived in the river. It seems their entire living world was shattered by that one activity done by the human. This shows as to just one activity can cause a chain reaction that affects so deep. The author further gives us examples of Massachusetts community town where the officials purchased and sprayed the weed killer chemicals and as result of spraying they found out that it contained the deadly element of arsenic. Subsequently over two dozen cows died as a result of this.

The insects are also an important part of the nature and the life around us. The author says that often people don’t realize the importance of the insects and the role they play around us. She takes an example of honeybees and wild bees that heavily depend on the weeds like goldenrod, mustard, and ad dandelions for the pollen that serves as their food. The whole process of the pollination is carried out in the delicate and balanced timing of the Mother Nature herself. The author says that not all men do not understand these things, but still the men who drench the entire land with chemicals wished they would understand this process.

The author also explains about the common type of herbicides that are used are 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T and other related compounds. Although there has not been any conclusive evidence that the above mentioned are poisonous. The people who sprayed their lawns with 2.4-D have developed symptoms like neuritis and paralysis. Although incidents like these are uncommon we cannot simply ignore them. Some of the recent studies indicate that the reproduction of the birds may be affected adversely due to these and other herbicides. Finally the author ends this chapter saying that it is about time we stop doing and see what would happen in future for what we are doing in the present and come up with solutions for the future also and not just the present problem.

CHAPTER VII: NEEDLESS HAVOC

In this chapter the author begins by saying that man has announced his goals already and one of the main goals that he is currently pursuing the goal for the conquest of the nature. It is a sad thing as man is one of the creations of the nature himself and he is trying to destroy her in his process of establishing himself. This has been going for a long time, the author says. Right from the earlier centuries, the slaughter of the buffalo in the western plains, massacre of the shore birds by the market gunners, near ex-termination of the egrets for their plumage. And now he is adding a new havoc. The direct killing of the plants, animals and other creatures by the chemical pesticides sprayed indiscriminately on the land.

The normal man who wish to analyze the situation about the question of the is mainly faced with a dilemma. One hand there is conversationalists and many wildlife biologists who say that the losses have become so sever and catastrophic it is so much hard to improve the situation. On the other hand there are control agencies that tend to deny flatly and categorically that such losses have occurred. So the final problem is which view a person should accept.

The authors states the example of the state of Michigan, were in 1959 over 27000 acres of the lands were dusted from the air with the pellets of the aldrin. As mentioned earlier it is one of the most dangerous and poisonous hydrocarbons. The program was conducted by the Michigan Department of the agriculture with the co-operation of the United States. Their main purpose was to control a particular beetle called the Japanese beetle. This was one of the largest air spray attacks done. The aldrin was mainly used with one intention- to save money as it was one of the cheapest compounds available. The state officials assured that aldrin will do no harm to the humans, or plants or animals.

Soon the effects of the spraying were visible. The local authorities got several complaints saying an unusual large number of birds dead or dying in the backyards of their homes. They showed inability to fly, paralysis and frequent convulsions. The animals like cats and dogs were affected and many were rushed to the local veterinary hospital. Soon many people reported to the hospital with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, chills, fever, extreme fatigue and coughing. This news was soon spread to other communities and the officials were forced to enquire about this incident.

There are several examples stated by the author that explains not just the wildlife that gets affected domestic animals like cow and sheep were affected. Most of these animals showed frequent symptoms like loss of interest in food, frequent thirst for water, extreme restlessness. There were also visible loss of the birds like pheasants. Rachel Carson mainly asks us about why such a civilized race like humans wage war against nature. They are losing the right to be called civilized by doing such things.

CHAPTER VIII: AND NO BIRDS SING

In this chapter the author begins by saying how spring arrives in the areas of America. Here spring is usually welcomed by the beauty of the return of the birds. Their sweet voices will fill the air with such melody of the nature. There were birds in the trees and it was such a beauty to just look at them and see the beauty and creations of the Mother Nature. But now most of it is gone. There is an eerie silence that spread all over the town. The bird sounds are silent; this obliteration has come swiftly, insidiously and fast.

The author says about a housewife who lived in the won of Hinsdale, Illinois, who wrote letters to the leading ornithologists telling the similar situation that happened in the place she lived. The main reason was that over several years the DDT has been sprayed there continuously. Earlier there was a wealth of bird life in that town. There were a stream of chickadees who had their young ones, there were also downiest and nuthatches. But now for the last two years there are no sign of them. She asks them where they have gone, why they have gone and will they ever come back. She also asks them can she do anything for this.

Rachel Carson also gives us about the example of the bird robin who faced serve problems due to the spraying of the DDT in the trees. There were many reports of the large numbers of robin that were missing and found dead in ground. At first the researchers could not find the direct link to what caused this. Later they found out that it was something due to what robin ate. They collected several earthworms from that area and tested them. It was found out that the deadly DDT was present in the soil. They were shocked to find out that the DDT that was sprayed in the trees settled in the leaves and once the leaves fell down in spring the earthworms digest it. The same earthworm is eaten by the robin as it is their main food.

Like the robin another bird is also facing the verge of extinction, that bird is also America’s national symbol, the eagle. Over the past decade the populations of the eagle have declined steadily over the time. The facts suggest that the environment of the eagle has virtually destroyed the ability of the eagle to reproduce. The definite answer is not known but many theories state that it is due to the over use of the insecticides.

The passage of the years and the development of the even more poisonous insecticides served to increase the hazard from the treated seed. Aldrin is a extremely toxic substance with over 100 times toxin compared to DDT to pheasants, is now mainly used for the seed coating. In the rice fields of Texas, this practice has seriously reduced the populations of the tree duck. And the author says that as the habit of the killing grows humans tend to think more about eradicating the creatures that cause inconvenience to them. The birds are the sufferers of this battle as they are getting more and more exposed to these harmful substances. The author ends this chapter by expressing her grief that in future will there be a world where there won’t be such a thing called a bird that you can look in the sky and smile with joy.

CHAPTER IX: RIVERS OF DEATH

The author begins this chapter by explaining about the life cycle of the fish called salmon. For thousands and thousands of years the salmon was a common fish that inhabited the coastal rivers of America. The salmon in the summer the river called Miramichi on the coast of New Brunshwik moved in from their feeding grounds in the far Atlantic and ascended their native river. They deposited their eggs in beds of gravel which will follow the stream. The salmon eggs initially live on their egg yolk sack but later they search the stream for small insects.

All these changed in the next summer as the Northwest Miramichi included a spraying program. The program was designed to save the forest from the infestation of the budworm. It is a worm that attacks several kinds of greeneries. So spraying of the DDT was begun. Millions of acres of forest land were sprayed in the form of the flight spraying. The pilots did only the job assign to them and made no special effort to avoid the streams or turn off their nozzle when they passed over one. Within days there were numerous amounts of fish reported dead in the streams. The most of the insects in the stream were also dead providing very less food for the salmon.

Rachel Carson also explains another horrific impact of DDT on the fish. The DDT causes blindness in the fish ins a confirmed fact by the various studies. A Canadian scientist reported that many cutthroat trout fishes can just be picked up from the DDT infested waters and the fish made no attempt to escape. On the closer examination it was found out that there was small opaque film covering the eye of the fishes which indicates their vision has been impaired or destroyed forever. Also once the DDT destroys the small insects in the stream it takes a long time for that to rebuild to the usual form.

The author mentions that the chemical spraying of the forests is not the only way and nor is it the best way to get rid of problems. The pesticides harm the fish in many ways. It affects the common fishes like bass, sunfish, trappies, suckers, etc that inhabit the waters much. Also fishes are very much sensitive to the chlorinated hydrocarbons that make up the bulk of the modern pesticides. And when these are applied in large scale in the land there always chances that a few of them might find its way back to the water. The author also explains the insecticides have the similar effect in other species that live in the waters like crabs and shrimps. They both get severe sickness on the exposure of the harmful chemicals.

The author expresses her grief and concern on the death of thousands and thousands of fish in some stream which is directly or indirectly the effect of some insecticide being sprayed somewhere. The author wants us to understand the nature of chemicals and how they react to the each and every element of nature is a vast unexplored area but we still continue to use it. The fisheries of fresh and salt water are the resource of great importance. They involve the interest of a large amount of people. Now they face the threat due to chemicals. The author says if everyone donated a small amount of money for research of less dangerous or non toxic materials this issue can be solved faster than expected.

CHAPTER X: BEYOND THE DREAMS OF THE BORGIAS

The author says the contamination of world is not just because of the spraying in mass basis. There are important aspects to notice but the people just ignore them even when they know the aspects of the problem but they just choose to ignore it. Each exposure with the chemicals can have a disastrous effect to the body. The average citizen is seldom aware of the potential dangers that a chemical can do to his body that he uses for eradicating the bugs and other insects.

The author says that the age we live in, the poison has established so that one can just walk into a store and get the poison without any questions asked. The author herself has had a similar experience in the super market and is deeply disturbed by this. She says that if a huge and skull is displayed on the insecticide department people would think twice about buying it. But now everything is marketed so well that display is homely and cheerful. Near the bath and laundry soaps the insecticides are displayed to create a perception of the product being safe to buy and use. Even a careless child could take them and if dropped on the floor accidently everyone nearby could go into convulsions in few seconds. Such is the level of danger that is displayed.

Another example of a poor gardener is also given. Here the gardener used DDT and then malathion on the shrubs and lawn; sometimes he used the chemicals with a hand spray or sometimes attached to his hose. In doing so his skin and clothing were soaked with the spray. One day he was hospitalized after collapsing in the garden suddenly. Examination of the biopsy specimen of the fat showed that accumulation of the 23 parts per million of DDT and there was extensive nerve damage which unfortunately was permanent. As time went he suffered from lost weight, extreme fatigue, and peculiar muscular weakness.

Another point of the hot debate was that whether the chemical residues on the food we eat. The existence of such is either played down by the industry as unimportant or is flatly denied. But there is general tendency of the brand people as fanatics or cultists who are so perverse as to demand that their food be free of insect poisonous. The statistics say that person who lived and died before the DDT era (1942) were free of it. Also it was a general assumption that the much of the DDT is stored in the fat deposits. The main cause of this entering into the body was through the fruits and vegetables that we eat.

Scientists have conducted to find a diet free from the DDT and other related chemicals. They went to the remote and primitive places like the far Arctic shores of Alaska. The Eskimos mainly at the diet of dried fish, the fait, meat from the beaver, moose , polar bear, cranberries etc. but there was an exception as two white owls carried small amounts of DDT maybe acquired by their vast journey.

Rachel Carson says that solution should exist merely in the paper but should be shown. Over ninety percent of the interstate food shipments slip without inspection. There is urgent need for more vigilant and aggressive food and drug inspectors. Only then there can be some hope in the situation.

CHAPTER XI: INDISCRIMINATELY FROM THE SKIES

In this chapter the author further explains the spraying of the insecticides and pesticides via sky by the planes. One of the main reasons that this method is adopted as it can cover a vast amount of land in the very short span of time. So within a matter of hours an entire forest or hundreds of acres of the infested land can be cleared by few planes spraying it from the sky. But the author mentions it is also one of the most deadly ways to spray an insecticide as anybody can come in contact with the toxic chemicals it does not matter whether you are plant, animal or human. She calls this as the ‘Amazing rain of death’. Earlier forest and cultivated land was sprayed but now it had extended to towns and cities as well.

The author gives us an example of the control measure of the gypsy moth done by the authorities. It was carried out in Pennsylvania. The program was to spray 3 million acres of the land with the DDT and oil mix from the plains. The long island also received the same way but when the spraying was done, they sprayed the truck gardens, dairy farms, fish ponds as well as salt marshes. They even drenched a housewife who made a desperate effort to cover her garden before the plane reached her garden as well as showering insecticide over the children as well as the common folk. Automobiles were spotted with this oily mixture and the flowers and leaves had this odd coating over them.

Another example given in this chapter was the debate about an insect called the fire ant. The fire ant was an insect that made its presence in the United States almost forty years ago. The fire ant seemed to attract a little attention over this time. Also only two states out of 20 which were infested reported problems of fire ant building large nests and hampering of machinery. But with development of chemicals there was a sudden change of attitude towards eradicating the fire ant. The fire ant was pictures as a serious threat to human, plant and animal life. According to the scientist in Alabama not a single report in the past five years have been received that this ants do damage to the plants. But the Agricultural department had another picture. Their claim was this ant was a menace to humans and its stings can be lethal at times.

Despite the contradictory views the eradication program were carried out and thousands of acres of lands were sprayed with the chemicals. The chemicals used were dieldrin and heptachlor both were relatively new. No one was sure as how much deep would these affect the nature and its animals along with the plants. As the program continued there were several incidents of the losses of the livestock, poultry, pets etc being dead. On a particular tract in Alabama over 1950 birds were dead. The worms from the region were examined and was found out that over 20 parts per million heptachlor in their tissues within 6- 1o months. Further conditions were worse of birds like pigeons, turkeys quail etc.

Another example of the chemical heptachlor was shown by Dr. Poitevint who showed that a calf of 2 months age had 79 quarter per million of heptachlor in its fat. This shows that the toxic has passed from the mother’s milk to the calf. This shows as how much dangerous this chemical actually is for the animals. He further points out that if this milk were to be marketed what would be that fate of the people and the children who drink it? What about all the dairy cattle who graze in these poisonous fields. When we eat the meat won’t the poison pass to us as well?

Despite all the methods adopted there are more fire ants in many regions than before the starting of the program. The method was abandoned and now primarily focused on the local control. This also led to finding of some inexpensive as well as effective methods to tackle this problem but this came at a heavy price. The author wishes if only people would have taken the time instead of doing a shortcut.

CHAPTER XII: THROUGH THE NARROW WINDOW

In this chapter the author gives us an introduction of the human body and the miracle machine the human body itself is. Medical research has found out that each and every cell in our body performs many functions that perfectly fit in the normal functioning of the body. Yet the nature of the chemicals present in the insecticides strike directly in our body and the core system. The energy that our body requires is not produced by any single organ but each and every individual cell in our body. Each cell is like a flame that burns fuel for energy. Should the millions of cell cease to burn the body could not survive nor there any life in it.

The transformation of the matter into the energy, the process itself is a continuous one. It is like a cycle and a wheel that turns endlessly. Grain by grain, the carbohydrate fuel in the form of the glucose is fed into the wheel, and the in the process the fuel molecules undergoes the fragmentation process. These changes happen step by step. At each stage of energy production the waste products (C02 and H20) are given off. In fact the process by which the cell functions is one of the wonders in the living world.

The energy that is produced at each stage of the oxidative cycle is commonly referred to ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). The ATP plays a major role in the furnishing the energy as it can transfer one of its phosphate groups to other substances along with the energy of its bonds of electrons that shuttles it back and forth at high speed. Thus when we take in muscle cell the energy to contract is gained when the terminal phosphate group is transferred to the contracting muscle. In simple words we can call ATP as the universal currency of the energy. It is found in all organisms. It give the mechanical energy to the muscle cells, the electrical energy to the nerve cells, the hormone for the burst energy of the sperm is created from the provision of the ATP.

It is also noted that ATP is coupled to the oxidative process, the process being called as phosphorylation. If the combination is uncoupled the means of providing useful energy is lost. The main factors of uncoupling are radiation, the chemicals in insecticides, weed killer, some herbicides like 2,4-D and the DDT. The uncoupling will extinguish the little fires of energy produced in billions of cells. The oxidation process is thus affected by this. The cells exposed to less oxygen can become extremely weak, organs will become less effective and abnormalities and deformations can occur.

Rachel Carson further explains about the study about the chromosome abnormalities caused by these harmful substances. Due to this the children born are with multiple defects including the mental retardation. The author asks us the question that we are filling the environment with chemicals that affect our birth of the next generation of us. It is not a price that we pay too high for a sprout less potato or a mosquito less patio. We are sharing our heritage that has been passed on to us from over a billion years ago by our ancestors. Isn’t it our responsibility to pass that heritage to our future generations without any damage or deformities?

CHAPTER XIII: THE HUMAN PRICE

The author begins this chapter saying that the tide of chemicals born out of the industrial age has now arisen and has almost engulfed the environment. Over the last centuries some of the major concerns of the world were disease like plague, small pox, cholera that swept the nations that infested them. But now in today’s world we have a concern that is far more dangerous than the above mentioned diseases. This is the problem of the insecticides and pesticides that we are introduced in our day to day life and affects us continuously. Their presence casts a dark shadow even in the brightest of the day there is.

An average individual knows very well that even single exposures to the chemicals, if the amount is large enough can lead to poisoning and even death. The sudden illness and the death of people like farmers, spray man, pilots are so tragic and sad that they should never have occurred. The responsible health officials of the public have pointed out that biological effects of the chemicals are cumulative over a long period of time and that the hazard that the individual faces depend on the total sum of exposures that he receives during a life time. So for this very reason normal persons ignore this warning as it is our nature to shrug off what seems to us as vague threat.

The American Medical Association has warned strongly the hazards of insecticide storage in the adipose tissue. They pointed out that the drugs or chemicals that are cumulative require greater caution than those having no tendency to be stored in the tissues. The adipose tissue is important as it is not merely a place for the deposit of the fat. Also the fats that are widely distributed in the various organs and the tissues in the body. One of the major fact about the hydrocarbon that is chlorinated is that their effect on our liver. Liver is an extremely important organ as the slightest damage to it is disastrous. It provides bile for the digestion of fats, receives blood directly from the digestive tract is its involvement in metabolism of all principle foodstuffs. It also maintains cholesterol in the proper level and inactivates hormones when they reach excessive level.

Rachel Carson also gives us the examples of two British investigators who deliberately exposed themselves to understand the effects and consequences of the DDT on human body. They made skin contact with the water soluble paint containing 2% DDT. The direct effect was on their nervous systems. The tiredness, heaviness, and aching of the limbs were seen. There were also frequent and violent joint pains. Another reported who experimented the similar way experienced aching of limb, muscular weakness. This goes on to show how much deadly the effect of this particular thing has on the human body.

The author ends this chapter by saying that the all of the above mentioned have been echoing for a long time. We can see them scattered all over the medical literature. Hydrocarbons, DDT, alrdrin all are responsible for the suffering. Confusion, the loss of memory, prorogued ill heath, the price we pay for the destroying a bunch of insects temporarily is way too much. Should we punish ourselves like this for the price of few insects that merely annoy us?

CHAPTER XIV: ONE IN EVERY FOUR

In this particular chapter the author gives us an introduction about one of the major diseases the world is facing today. The cancer is one of the major diseases that are a curse to the world. The origin of the cancer is so long that people have failed to find its exact time. But it is known that there is naturally occurring cancer caused by natural cancer causing agents. But they are very few in number and its part of the nature to destroy in a balanced way. But with the arrival of the man the situation changed a lot. The cancer producing agents are created by the man, unlike no other species do. They are called carcinogens in the medical terminologies. A classic example is the soot that is deposited in the chimneys. It has its origin in the industrial era where massive machines produced smoke that emitted from the chimneys.

There is a direct link between the soot in the chimney and the cancer. It was discovered in the 17th century itself but there was no conclusive evidence back then. The main people who got affected are the workers in copper smelters, and tin foundries. But in the late 19th century more in depth studies began taking place for this. Also shocking information is that while quarter century ago cancer among the children was medical rarity but now more American children die of the cancer than any other disease. Such is the extend this disease has spread. Over twelve percent of the deaths reported in the children are caused by the cancer.

The chemicals we use to control nature have direct or indirect effect in contribution of cancer. Most of the insecticides and pesticides have elements of carcinogens. By the end of the 19 th

century over half a dozen of these industrial carcinogens were known but in the 20 th century the carcinogens created were near to countless. Two herbicides namely IPC and CIPC have been found to play the role n producing skin tumors on the mice. The example of the survivors of the Hiroshima is given. Even now they suffer from the cancer and the after effects of the radiation.

It is also found out the disease leukemia is related to the spraying of the DDT as well as petroleum distillate. An example is also given about a housewife who died within one month after she sprayed her home with them. There are several reports of the people who have died due to this disease most of them having used DDT in one way or the other. Also the exposure to carcinogen in small doses is deadlier than a large dose as the latter kills the cells outright but the former will develop the cancer cells.

The author feels that most of the industrial action taken by the man in the process of the growth and development have made our life simpler but that is just a delusion as it has made it more and more complex and confusing. It is time that the carcinogens and the activities that lead to the production of them should be stopped. The author says by the total elimination of the carcinogens the threat that cancer may occur one in every four of us can be removed totally. They contaminate our food, water and atmospheres so it is about time some serious actions should be taken for them.

CHAPTER XV: NATURE FIGHTS BACK

In this chapter the author explains that the man has done and put in so many efforts to mold the nature for his or her satisfaction only to find that most of them have failed miserably and accompanied by more misery than ever before. It is a universal truth that nature itself cannot be molded according to anyone’s wishes and in a way fights back whatever that harms the nature in one way or the other. The insect world is also mentioned here saying it is a phenomenal and amazing world that the insects live in.

Here there are mainly two important facts that are often overlooked in the designing of the modern insect control programs. The first and most obvious one is that the most effective control against them is the one applied by nature. The nature itself has a balance of controlling the insects. The second most neglected fact is that explosive power of the species to reproduce once the resistance of the environment has been weakened considerably. The nature does its job at keeping the specie count to the optimum level if not interfered with.

The chapter explains about the system where everywhere there are predators and parasites doing their job. But the prospect of the general and the permanent lowering of the resistance of the environment are growing more year by year. With each passing year the there are more variety and more destructive insecticides coming out in the market. But people tend to ignore it thinking that it’s not going to happen in their lifetime. There are times when the spraying of the insecticide has actually made an upsurge in the very insect that was meant to be controlled. An example of black flies in Ontario is also given. The population of the flies increased to almost 17 times.

There are also several examples of the insects given whose reproduction has increased by many times as insecticides have killed off their natural predators and enemies. The spider mint, red-branded leaf roller, coffee bush pest etc. These creatures have developed some sort of resistance towards the insecticides and adding to the woes, the insecticides have actually allowed them to flourish. There were also instances by spraying chemicals like the heptachlor the crops were severely damaged. There are further examples of farmers in Illinois and Louisiana that faced this.

The chapter further gives us an example of a person called Dr. Pickett who pioneered in the field of working out the methods that can control the insects by taking the advantage of the predatory and parasite species relating to that insect. In fact his method serves as a shining model even today. In his method there is maximum use of natural controls with minimum use of insecticides. Whenever insecticides are used special care will be taken to use them as less as possible to avoid more damage to the parasites and predatory species.

This program has worked well and there are many success stories. An example stated here is Nova Scotia orchardist who modified their program and now are getting good production at relatively low cost. They also bring harmony and peace to the nature and not break that chain.

CHAPTER XVI: THE RUMBLINGS OF AN AVALANCHE

The chapter begins the with the author giving a reference to Charles Darwin. She says that if Mr. Darwin would be alive today he would find the insect world that once he observed saying back to him that his theory of survival of the fittest is applicable more to them than any other species on the planet. Of all these years of spraying with different chemicals they are finally getting the resistance towards those chemicals itself. Before the 1945 there were relatively a dozen of species of the insects known to have developed some resistance against to pre-DDT insecticides.

But during the year 1960 the rate was growing at an alarming rate by over 137 species. In fact the WHO and more than 300 scientists in the world declare that resistance is the single most important problem facing the vector- control programs. An example is given to explain this, in South Africa the main problem cattle men faced was the blue tick. Earlier they were resistant to arsenical dips. Then benzene hex chloride was tried. But they developed resistance for that too. It has just been a few decades since we have introduced the potent synthetic insecticides in public programs, but the main technical problem faced is resistance to them by insects.

The chapter gives some species like black flies, sand flies that have not yet become resistant to chemicals. But it also gives another list like house flies body lice etc that have developed resistance on the global level. Even the malaria programs are threatened by the resistance among the mosquitoes. In United States the DDT resistance among the flies has become wide spread in the valley of Tennessee in 1948. Soon it spread to other neighboring places. It took the flies just two months to develop resistance against treatment by dieldrin.

The first ever mosquito to develop the resistance against the DDT was Anopheles sacharovi in Greece. So despite of the extensive spraying the adult mosquitoes were found to be resistant against DDT. In 1960 over 28 species of mosquitoes have shown resistance compared to just 5 in 1956. There were outbreaks of diseases caused by the mosquitoes in these years. Example given is yellow fever outbreak in Trinidad, Malaria outbreak in Greece, Nigeria etc. Ticks are also another problem faced. The brown dog tick has ability to resist the chemicals, wood tick, the primary vector of spotted fever has recently developed resistance. Few other species like cockroaches, potato insects, cotton insects etc.

So Rachel Carson asks us this prominent question, if the insects are getting resistant to the chemicals, then can us humans do the same thing?. In the theory it could be possible but resistance is not something that develops in an individual. It is something that gets developed in a population after time measured in many generations. It seems that nature itself has decided that it tired of humans doing harm continuously and now is fighting back and this resistance of the insects toward the chemicals may be the beginning of the fight that nature is putting up.

CHAPTER XVII: THE OTHR ROAD

In this final chapter of the Silent Spring the author Rachel Carson begins by asking us a question. Before us, two roads lie ahead. Which one should we choose? Both roads are not equally fair. One road leads to attain great speed but the far end of that road we can see the disaster and carnage that lies ahead. On the other road, ‘less traveled road’, we have that road ahead of us, but it offers the preservation of the mother earth. Now the choice is left open to each and every one of us. After so much times it all comes down the choice that we have to make for the future.

The chapter gives us a triumphant example of the control of the screw-worms done by the Agriculture Department scientists in Texas 1954. The head of the experiment was Dr. Knipling. This project after its initial success was done in large scale in Florida. Over 20 light airplanes flew over five to six hours daily carrying thousands of cartons full of 200-400 irradiated flies. This program was considered as complete success. This success has inspired to control other insects like melon fly, fruit fly, tsetse fly etc.

Some of the recent developments taking place is that taking the weapons of the insects and using it against them. The venoms, attractants, and the repellents can be used for the advantage. The Scientists at the Cornell University are trying to find more answers for this section. There are also works done in a particular hormone called ‘juvenile hormone’ that prevents the metamorphosis of the larval insect until the proper growth has been reached. An example of the sex attract of the female gypsy moth is also given that has been artificially manufactured to attract the male gypsy moth to a trap.

There are also experiments on the sounds produced by the insects to lure them. Ultra sound is another promising option as it kills the mosquito larvae, blowflies, meal worms etc and more experiments are going on. There are also studies going on for the use of the microbes against the insects. A bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis is found to cause fatal septicemia in the larvae of the flour moth. The larvae die and the crop damage stops immediately. The chapter also gives us the views of the Dr. Ruppersthofen that we should not resort to violent measures of using chemicals and give a chance of innovative and unharmful measures mentioned.

The author says the weapon is with the man in the form of many chemicals, insecticides, pesticides, powders, sprays, liquid etc all meant for destroying the living things that annoy or pose a threat to the life or the business or the society or the property of man. One hand we have the life itself as a thin fabric that is delicate and destructible but on the other hand we have a life that has evolved and is tough, resilient and is capable of striking back at us in ways and methods we cannot even imagine.

The very phrase ‘Control of Nature ‘is born out of nothing but sheer arrogance and foolishness. But she expresses that there is hope for us even now and more and more people accept the things mentioned here. So the author ends the book by saying that we may have the weapons of mass destruction but at the end it is us that have more to lose than anything else on earth.