HSHM 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Great Stink, Coal Dust, Mercury Poisoning

• School: Yale University
• Department: Hist of Science, Hist of Med
• Course: HSHM 211
• Professor: William Rankin

Document Summary

Is environmentalism old or new: old, long succession of thinkers, disasters, and gradually increasing importance, benjamin franklin, ancient greeks, the bible, new, roughly late 1950s to early 1970s, popular consciousness. Books such as pale blue dot: major disasters. Pre-environmentalism: conservation: the management of natural resources (fish, the dust bowl, conservation of forestry, 1713: first use of (cid:862)sustai(cid:374)a(cid:271)ility(cid:863, gifford pinchot (us) What"s differe(cid:374)t a(cid:271)out e(cid:374)(cid:448)iro(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)talis(cid:373): from specific sites of management to a pervasive toxic environment. Invisible threats: radioactivity, pesticides, acid rain, e(cid:448)e(cid:374) i(cid:374) the (cid:862)(cid:449)ilder(cid:374)ess(cid:863, everyday people pushing back against experts, who to trust, local, neighborhood grassroots, (cid:862)middle-(cid:272)lass (cid:272)o(cid:374)su(cid:373)er (cid:373)o(cid:448)e(cid:373)e(cid:374)t(cid:863, consumers vs. business (and workers?) Che(cid:373)i(cid:272)al (cid:272)o(cid:373)pa(cid:374)ies (cid:374)ot a(cid:373)used (cid:271)y carso(cid:374)"s (cid:271)ook. Received a lot of backlash, called a communist, sexist remarks towards her. Zero-sum battle between business (patriotism) and the environment. Preside(cid:374)t"s (cid:272)ie(cid:374)tifi(cid:272) ad(cid:448)isory co(cid:373)(cid:373)ittee sided (cid:449)ith carso(cid:374) Pesticides were both promoted and regulated by same body. Useful chemical with clear human benefits, especially malaria control.