 |
| Rachel Carson and Bob Hines |
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist who devoted much of her life to conservation work.
Her early work was as a marine biologist. She wrote three books focusing on the sea, Under the Sea-wind, The Sea Around Us, and The Edge of the Sea. These books are referred to as her sea trilogy.
Her shift into conservation work occurred after she published
The Edge of the Sea. Her original plan had been to begin studying evolution, but due to the publication of
Evolution in Action by Julian Huxley and her failure to find a good approach to the topic, she abandoned it. She became involved with several conservation groups and began to follow the USDA's plans for pesticide use.
In 1962, Rachel Carson published
Silent Spring, a book which detailed the dangers of overusing pesticides, with a focus on the effects of pesticides on birds. Her book claimed that uncontrolled overuse of pesticides such as DDT was killing animals and humans. Carson shifted from the merely informative nature of her other books into a social critic, calling out the chemical industry for spreading false information and government officials for not closely examining the claims.
Silent Spring led to an official investigation of Carson's claims, and the investigation proved what she said. Stricter regulations were imposed upon the use of chemical pesticides.
A website with more information about Rachel Carson may be found
here.
