Last reviewed:
Rachel Carson
1907–1964
American marine biologist and author of Silent Spring (1962).
What they got right
She pulled together scattered evidence on pesticide harm and questioned reassurances from industry, connecting findings specialists had kept apart.
Skill it shows
Evidence and sources
Practise this skillThis is an era of specialists, each of whom sees his own problem and is unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame into which it fits.
Worth knowing
Some passages overstate cancer risks. The claim that her book caused millions of malaria deaths is widely judged a myth: the US ban was on farm use of DDT.
Try it yourself
Find a product claim of 'proven safe'. Who did the testing, and who might see a bigger picture they missed?