Editing Rachel Carson (section)

====Promotion and reception====
Carson and the others involved with the publication of ''Silent Spring'' expected fierce criticism. They were particularly concerned about the possibility of being sued for [[Defamation|libel]]. Carson was also undergoing [[radiation therapy]] to combat her spreading cancer and expected to have little energy to devote to defending her work and responding to critics. In preparation for the anticipated attacks, Carson and her agent attempted to amass as many prominent supporters as possible before the book's release.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=397–400}}</ref>

Most of the book's scientific chapters were reviewed by scientists with relevant expertise, among whom Carson found strong support. Carson attended the [[White House]] Conference on Conservation in May 1962; Houghton Mifflin distributed proof copies of ''Silent Spring'' to many of the delegates and promoted the upcoming ''New Yorker'' serialization. Among many others, Carson also sent a proof copy to Supreme Court Associate Justice [[William O. Douglas]], a longtime environmental advocate who had argued against the court's rejection of the Long Island pesticide spraying case (and who had provided Carson with some of the material included in her chapter on herbicides).<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=375, 377, 400–407}}. Douglas's dissenting opinion on the rejection of the case, ''Robert Cushman Murphy et al., v. Butler et al.'', from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, is from March 28, 1960.</ref>

Though ''Silent Spring'' had generated a relatively high level of interest based on pre-publication promotion, this became much more intense with the serialization in ''The New Yorker'', which began on June 16, 1962, issue. This brought the book to the attention of the chemical industry and its lobbyists and a wide swath of the American populace. Around that time, Carson also learned that ''Silent Spring'' had been selected as the [[Book of the Month Club|Book of the Month]] for October; as she put it, this would "carry it to farms and hamlets all over that country that don't know what a bookstore looks like—much less ''The New Yorker''."<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=407–408}}. Quotation (p. 408) from a June 13, 1962, letter from Carson to Dorothy Freeman.</ref> Other publicity included a positive editorial in ''[[The New York Times]]'' and excerpts of the serialized version in ''[[Audubon (magazine)|Audubon]]'' magazine, with another round of publicity in July and August as chemical companies responded. The story of the birth defect-causing drug [[thalidomide]] broke just before the book's publication as well, inviting comparisons between Carson and [[Frances Oldham Kelsey]], the [[Food and Drug Administration]] reviewer who had blocked the drug's sale in the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=409–413}}</ref>

Following the publication of ''Silent Spring'', Carson as a woman in science faced personal attacks. [[Linda Lear]], Carson's biographer, describes in the Introduction to ''Silent Spring'' how critics sought to undermine Carson's arguments by calling her a "bird and bunny lover."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |author-link=Rachel Carson |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/854680807 |title=Silent Spring |date= |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |others=Introduction by Linda Lear |isbn=9780618249060 |edition=50th Anniversary |pages=10–19 |language=English}}</ref> In the eyes of the [[chemical industry]], Carson was a "woman out of control," going outside the bounds of her gender by making claims about an industry within the scientific community.<ref name=":1" />

<!-- Commented out: [[File:Silent Spring Book-of-the-Month-Club edition.JPG|thumb|The [[Book-of-the-Month Club]] edition of ''Silent Spring'', including an endorsement by Justice Douglas, had a first print run of 150,000 copies, two-and-a-half times the combined size of the two conventional printings of the initial release.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=416, 419}}</ref>]] -->
In the weeks leading up to the September 27, 1962, publication, there was strong opposition to ''Silent Spring'' from the chemical industry. [[DuPont]] (a high market-share manufacturer of DDT and [[2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid|2,4-D]]) and [[Velsicol Chemical Corporation]] (exclusive manufacturer of [[chlordane]] and [[heptachlor]]) were among the first to respond. DuPont compiled an extensive report on the book's press coverage and estimated impact on public opinion. Velsicol threatened legal action against Houghton Mifflin and ''The New Yorker'' and ''Audubon'' unless the planned ''Silent Spring'' features were canceled. Chemical industry representatives and lobbyists also lodged a range of non-specific complaints, some anonymously. Chemical companies and associated organizations produced a number of their own brochures and articles promoting and defending pesticide use. However, Carson's and the publishers' lawyers were confident in the vetting process ''Silent Spring'' had undergone. The magazine and book publications proceeded as planned, as did the large Book-of-the-Month printing (which included a pamphlet endorsing the book by William O. Douglas).<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=412–420}}</ref>

[[American Cyanamid]] biochemist [[Robert White-Stevens]] and former Cyanamid chemist [[Thomas H. Jukes|Thomas Jukes]] were among the most aggressive critics, especially of Carson's analysis of DDT.<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=433–434}}</ref> According to White-Stevens, "If man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth."<ref name="frontline_Cyanamid">{{Cite web |title=Special Reports – Silent Spring Revisited {{!}} Fooling With Nature {{!}} FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nature/disrupt/sspring.html |access-date=July 2, 2023 |website=www.pbs.org}}</ref> Others went further, attacking Carson's scientific credentials (because her training was in marine biology rather than biochemistry) and her character. White-Stevens labeled her "...a fanatic defender of the cult of the balance of nature,"<ref>Quoted in {{harvnb|Lear|1997|p=434}}</ref> while former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture [[Ezra Taft Benson]], in a letter to former President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], reportedly concluded that because she was unmarried despite being physically attractive, she was "probably a [[Communism|Communist]]."<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=429–430}}. Benson's supposed comments were widely repeated at the time but have not been directly confirmed.</ref>

Many critics repeatedly asserted that she was calling for the elimination of all pesticides. However, Carson had made it clear she was not advocating the banning or complete withdrawal of helpful pesticides but was instead encouraging responsible and carefully managed use with an awareness of the chemicals' impact on the entire ecosystem.<ref>{{harvnb|Murphy|2005|p=9}}</ref> In fact, she concludes her section on DDT in ''Silent Spring'' not by urging a total ban but with advice for spraying as little as possible to limit the development of resistance.<ref name="Carson 1962 275" />

The academic community, including prominent defenders such as [[Hermann Joseph Muller|H. J. Muller]], [[Loren Eiseley]], [[Clarence Cottam]], and [[Frank Edwin Egler|Frank Egler]], by and large, backed the book's scientific claims; public opinion soon turned Carson's way as well. The chemical industry campaign backfired, as the controversy greatly increased public awareness of potential pesticide dangers, as well as ''Silent Spring'' book sales. Pesticide use became a major public issue, especially after the ''[[CBS Reports]]'' TV special ''The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson'' that aired April 3, 1963. The program included segments of Carson reading from ''Silent Spring'' and interviews with several other experts, mostly critics (including White-Stevens); according to biographer [[Linda Lear]], "in juxtaposition to the wild-eyed, loud-voiced Dr. Robert White-Stevens in white lab coat, Carson appeared anything but the hysterical alarmist that her critics contended."<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=437–449}}; quotation from 449.</ref> Reactions from the estimated audience of ten to fifteen million were overwhelmingly positive, and the program spurred a congressional review of pesticide dangers and the public release of a pesticide report by the [[President's Science Advisory Committee]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=449–450}}</ref> Within a year or so of publication, the attacks on the book and Carson had largely lost momentum.<ref name="time100">{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2000 |title=TIME 100: Scientists & Thinkers – Rachel Carson |url=http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/carson03.html |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000919134424/http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/carson03.html |archive-date=September 19, 2000 }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|p=461}}</ref>

In one of her last public appearances, Carson testified before President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s Science Advisory Committee. The committee issued its report on May 15, 1963, largely backing Carson's scientific claims.<ref name="nwhp_bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.nwhp.org/tlp/biographies/carson/carson-bio.html |title=2003 National Women's History Month Honorees: Rachel Carlson |access-date=March 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208074458/http://www.nwhp.org/tlp/biographies/carson/carson-bio.html |archive-date=December 8, 2005}}. Retrieved September 23, 2007.</ref> Following the report's release, she also testified before a [[United States Senate]] subcommittee to make policy recommendations. Though Carson received hundreds of other speaking invitations, she could not accept the great majority of them. Her health was steadily declining as her cancer outpaced the radiation therapy, with only brief periods of remission. She spoke as much as she was physically able, however, including a notable appearance on ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|The Today Show]]'' and speeches at several dinners held in her honor. In late 1963, she received a flurry of awards and honors: the [[National Audubon Society#Audubon Medal|Audubon Medal]] (from the [[National Audubon Society]]), the [[Cullum Geographical Medal]] (from the [[American Geographical Society]]), and induction into the [[American Academy of Arts and Letters]].<ref>{{harvnb|Lear|1997|pp=451–461, 469–473}}</ref>