Originally published in November 1945
“Release of DDT to civilians for general use recently led to a flood of preparations presumably containing this highly effective insecticide but actually too dilute to be useful. Fear is expressed by legitimate insecticide producers that unfortunate experiences with early improper DDT preparations made by unscrupulous persons may prevent its legitimate later use for valuable purposes.”
—Scientific American, November 1945
More gems from Scientific American’s first 175 years can be found on our anniversary archive page.
