Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-09
DOT Fails to Duunt
Korean Body Louise
Scientists Are Discouraged
In War on Insects

Korean coolies are highly resistant
to DOT.
This is probably the most discourage
ing development in war where victory
seemed at hand-not the war with Chi
nese Reds and North Koreans. but the
far greater struggle of the human race
against insects.
This was stressed at a conference on
insecticide resistance attended by the
country'S foremost authorities, held by
the Division Of Medical Science of the
National Research Council. Through
out most Of history the cootie-the
body louse-has been the scourge of
armies everywhere. It is the spreader
Of typhus which has killed hundreds
fold more soldiers than enemy bullets
and wiped out entire armies and civil
ian populations.
In World War the cootie was famil-
lar to every American soldier overseas
and the de-louSing machine which
travelled with the army probably q
more essential weapon than the air
plane. In the last war the body louise
seemed to have disappeared because of
the appearance of potent insecticides.
DOT was the chief of these. Its use
brought under control quickly threat
ened typhus epidemic in Naples. It
would kill about any kind of insect. It
was hailed as one Of the major war
time scientific developments whose use
promised to wipe out the common
house-fly, malaria carrying mosquitoes
and the rat lice responsible for bubonic
plague all over the world. It also prom.
iSed to be tremendous boon to agri-
culture, constantly threatened by insect
pests.
Worked at First.
The high promise soon began to ap-
pear as somewhat of q delusion. All
sorts Of insects began to develop high
resistance to the virulent poison.
Races began to appear which thrived
on it. Other and more powerful in
Secticides were produced. They seemed
to work at first, but then the same
phenomenon Of resistance began to
make its appearance.
The Korean body louise development
is the most serious setback yet re-
ported, the conference was told by DR..
A. D. Hess Of the Public Health Service,
chairman Of the National Research
Council conference.
"Insecticide resistance" he. told the
specialists gathered to consider the
situation, became important starting
with the DOT resistance by house flies
and mosquitoes in Italy in 1947. Since
then house flies have developed re-
Sistance in most parts of the world
where Wholesale applications of DOT
have been made
More important recently is the
growing indication Of resistance in
other disease vectorS. Although in
general the malaria mosquitoes have
shown comparatively little resistance
there is now considerable indication
that some Of them are developing re-
sistance. A potent mosquito vector of
malaria in Greece appears definitely
to have developed a degree of resistance.
The most serious of the recent develop
mentS is the discovery that body lice
in Korea are highly resistant to DDT."
May Resort to Old Methods.
Korean coolies, 1t was stressed at
the conference. are not notably different
from body lice anywhere else. The same
resistance would develop to DOT, and
then to other insecticides in any part
OF the world. A few years ago it was
said that such an epidemic Of typhus
as that which swept the Ukraine after
the first war and which is said to have
killed more than 10 millions never
could happen again. It could be
stopped almost at once with insecti-
cides. Now this appears futile hope.
Armies probably must dust off their
old de-lousing machines.
Up to now. notable progress has been
made in cleaning up bad malaria areas,
both in the tropics and the Southern
United States. Now the specialists
would not be surprised to see the
weapons Snatched out of their hands
at any moment. with the development
Of race Of mosquitoes that can laugh
at all the DOT which can be sprayed
on them.