Evening star., 1962-12-18
Silent Sprinq'

We commend your serial
ization Of Silent Spring."
and the presentation Of
equally valid evidence on the
other side. We agree with
critics on the lack of SCI
entific detachment in Miss
Carson's approach, unscien-
tific reasoning, omission of
facts needed for proper in
depreciation, and a question
ing of her basic philosophy
on the balance of nature"
AS the only national rep
resentative of aerial applica-
tors, we assure all concerned
that those who apply pesti-
cides and other material from
the air are responsible indiv-
iduals. After all. their lives,
their property, their custom
ers are at stake! Further,
the Federal Aviation Agency
and other agencies are now
studying proposed regula-
tions which we believe will
strengthen the industry and
alleviate some difficulties ex-
perienced in the past.
Applicators do not spray
indiscriminately. They do
not apply directly over a body
of water, and they also skip
the bordering strip of land,
except, of course. in programs
such as mosquito abatement
in swamp land. These are
requested by community Of
ficials, and have eradicated
or greatly reduced malaria
and other dread diseases in
this country and abroad.
A great deal of ground
seeding and fertilization is
done from the air. Even fish
seeding is done from planes.
to reach inaccessible noun
tain lakes.
There are, of course, GER
tain potential dangers in the
usage Of the chemicals des-
cribed in the book. We be-
lieve your we'll balanced
presentation will contribute
greatly to public understand
ing of this important and
complicated problem.
David Teetor,
Associate Executive
Director, National Aviation
Trades Association.
Many recent writer's have
been concerned with our hav-
ing somehow lost the cour-
age to get angry. In this mat
ter, however, a distinction
between purposeful anger and
irrational anger should al
ways be made.
Silent Spring" for exam
pie, is an instance where ra-
tionally venting ones spleen
has beneficially produced an
awareness of the spray
around us. 1t is. at the very
least, an obviously sincere
presentation. Those who wish
scientific investigation to be
presented void Of the spirit
of that investigation are the
same who believe human
frailty or error can be oblit-
Grated by science. The
bugaboo is that administra-
tors can use static scientific
fact with great variability for
almost any action they desire
to effect, using experimental
evidence as Justification.
In this scientific era, "the
spirit OF the thing" has come
into disrepute, but some day
/ think we are going TO rea-
lie its Importance TO the
growth Of science. Just as jur-
lists consistently find II advis-
able TO deal with the spirit
Of the law. The scientist who
keeps an eye on the implica-
tions OF his work is OF much
greater value 10 the universe
than the hammer-and-ax SCI
enlist who spends a goodly
part OF his day milking the
sacred COW, and many will be
operating on the negative side
OF human history in self
imposed unawareness.
A telling thing is that. In
virtually all OF the criticism
OF Miss Carson's work, II is
the presentation that is criti-
cized. not her basic facts;
she had obviously stepped on
some opinionated toes. The
dead birds, the sick and dying
livestock. the sick and the
dead humans; these are all
recorded fact and impervious
10 criticism.
The factor which may
eventually show the stupidity
Of our unrestrictive use OF
pesticides Is that the insects
we are after may well have
greater long-range federation
for these chemicals than hui
mans do, and feel rather
foolish playing Russian
roulette with a potato bug.
L. Chisholm.