Historical perspectives on malaria: the Rockefeller antimalaria strategy in the 20th century.

Malaria, a serious disease for all of human history, was not effectively handled until methods for control of its insect vector, the Anopheles mosquito, were developed at the beginning of the 20th century. The Rockefeller Foundation's antimalaria program spread vector-control strategies throughout the world, and its adoption of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane during World War II created an especially powerful and effective malaria control strategy. However, insect resistance to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and restrictions on dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane use due to its long-term environmental effects are factors in the persistence of malaria as a serious health problem. Mt Sinai J Med 76:468-473, 2009. (c) 2009 Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The Pine River statement: human health consequences of DDT use.

OBJECTIVES: Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was used worldwide until the 1970s, when concerns about its toxic effects, its environmental persistence, and its concentration in the food supply led to use restrictions and prohibitions. In 2001, more than 100 countries signed the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), committing to eliminate the use of 12 POPs of greatest concern. However, DDT use was allowed for disease vector control. In 2006, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Agency for International Development endorsed indoor DDT spraying to control malaria. To better inform current policy, we reviewed epidemiologic studies published from 2003 to 2008 that investigated the human health consequences of DDT and/or DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) exposure. DATA SOURCES AND EXTRACTION: We conducted a PubMed search in October 2008 and retrieved 494 studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Use restrictions have been successful in lowering human exposure to DDT, but blood concentrations of DDT and DDE are high in countries where DDT is currently being used or was more recently restricted. The recent literature shows a growing body of evidence that exposure to DDT and its breakdown product DDE may be associated with adverse health outcomes such as breast cancer, diabetes, decreased semen quality, spontaneous abortion, and impaired neurodevelopment in children. CONCLUSIONS: Although we provide evidence to suggest that DDT and DDE may pose a risk to human health, we also highlight the lack of knowledge about human exposure and health effects in communities where DDT is currently being sprayed for malaria control. We recommend research to address this gap and to develop safe and effective alternatives to DDT.

Lewis W. Hackett and the early years of the International Health Board's Yellow Fever Program in Brazil, 1917-1924

It explores aspects of the International Health Board's early years in Brazil, hoping to show how disease and the American Sanitary impulse were defined by the International Health Board within the framework of its vision, yet were molded by the Brazilian government, society and natural environment. Because Lewis Hackett was the board's representative in Brazil during almost all of the period, 1917-1924, significant elements of this story will be told through his words and seen through his eyes.(AU)

The past and the future of research in the history of science: medicine and technology at the Rockefeller Archive Center

Review of the documentation of the Rockefeller Archive Center that provides insights into developments that have shaped the 20th century, such as the Green Revolution, the promotion of experimental medicine, the social sciences and the visual arts.

The past and the future of research in the history of science: medicine and technology at the Rockefeller Archive Center

Review of the documentation of the Rockefeller Archive Center that provides insights into developments that have shaped the 20th century, such as the Green Revolution, the promotion of experimental medicine, the social sciences and the visual arts.(AU)