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In 1939, Paul Hermann Müller<ref>In 1948 Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods."</ref>, a Swiss chemist working for Geigy Pharmaceutical, discovered its pesticidal qualities.  It was soon put to good use by Allied forces in World War II to help control [[malaria]] and [[typhus]], especially in the Asian and Pacific theatres.  

In 1939, Paul Hermann Müller<ref>In 1948 Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods."</ref>, a Swiss chemist working for Geigy Pharmaceutical, discovered its pesticidal qualities.  It was soon put to good use by Allied forces in World War II to help control [[malaria]] and [[typhus]], especially in the Asian and Pacific theatres.  

Following the war it was used widely with great success to eliminate the last pockets of malaria from North America and Europe. In 1955 the [[World Health Organization]] started a program to eradicate malaria worldwide, largely through the spraying of DDT declaring Brazil, Egypt, the former Soviet Union and several Asian and Caribbean countries to be malaria-free and thus removing 700 million people from risk of infection.

Following the war it was used widely with great success to eliminate the last pockets of malaria from North America and Europe. In 1955 the [[World Health Organization]] started a program to eradicate malaria worldwide, largely through the spraying of DDT.  Brazil, Egypt, the former Soviet Union and several Asian and Caribbean countries were freed from malaria, and 700 million people from risk of infection.

DDT was also widely adopted as an agricultural pesticide and it was, perhaps, overused by farmers.  

DDT was also widely adopted as an agricultural pesticide and it was, perhaps, overused by farmers.  

==Campaign to ban DDT==

==Campaign to ban DDT==

Although not toxic in small amounts, it was claimed that DDT accumulated in bodies through the food chain and thus it had an adverse effect on bird-life, particularly raptors.  In 1962, naturalist Rachel Carson published ''[[Silent Spring]]'', a bestselling book that campaigned for the regulated use of DDT.   

Although not toxic in small amounts, DDT was claimed, when accumulated in bodies through the food chain, to have an adverse effect on bird life, particularly raptors.  In 1962, naturalist Rachel Carson published ''[[Silent Spring]]'', a bestselling book that campaigned for regulation of the use of DDT.   

* Rachel Carson sounded the initial alarm against DDT, but represented the science of DDT erroneously in her 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson wrote "Dr. DeWitt's now classic experiments [on quail and pheasants] have now established the fact 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's 1956 article (in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry) actually yielded a very different conclusion. Quail were fed 200 parts per million of DDT in all of their food throughout the breeding season. DeWitt reports that 80% of their eggs hatched, compared with the "control"" birds which hatched 83.9% of their eggs. Carson also omitted mention of DeWitt's report that "control" pheasants hatched only 57 percent of their eggs, while those that were fed high levels of DDT in all of their food for an entire year hatched more than 80% of their eggs. [http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html]

* Rachel Carson sounded the initial alarm against DDT, but represented the science of DDT erroneously in her 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson wrote "Dr. DeWitt's now classic experiments [on quail and pheasants] have now established the fact 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's 1956 article (in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry) actually yielded a very different conclusion. Quail were fed 200 parts per million of DDT in all of their food throughout the breeding season. DeWitt reports that 80% of their eggs hatched, compared with the "control"" birds which hatched 83.9% of their eggs. Carson also omitted mention of DeWitt's report that "control" pheasants hatched only 57 percent of their eggs, while those that were fed high levels of DDT in all of their food for an entire year hatched more than 80% of their eggs. [http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html]