Mark H. Lytle: The Gentle Subversive

By: Jennifer Palmer

Posted: 3/8/07

Since her death, Rachel Carson has been hailed as one of the most inspirational figures in the modern environmental movement. But time has faded her legacy and few people understand her influence beyond a controversial book and a pesticide ban.
But for Mark Hamilton Lytle, Professor of History at Bard College, Rachel Carson was a strikingly complex individual worthy of recognition.
On Thursday, February 22, the Mount Holyoke Center for the Environment hosted Lytle as part of their spring series on women, health and the environment, titled Voices of Silent Spring. Lytle spoke on his recently published biography of Carson, The Gentle Subversive. In his book, Lytle takes an "intimate look" at Carson's personal and professional life and discusses the praise and criticism her work has received to the present day. Lytle's lecture was followed by a performance by Kaiulani Lee in her one-woman play A Sense of Wonder, which is based on Carson's life. Both events commemorated Carson's centennial birthday.
According to Lytle, Carson had an unusually close and enduring relationship with her mother. When Carson left home to attend Pennsylvania College for Women, her mother came to visit her every weekend. As a child, Carson's mother instilled a love of nature and learning in her and supported her work until the end. The pair lived together for the rest of their lives.
"She would leave a manuscript at home, and her mother would type it," said Lytle.
Carson's Presbyterian family often depended on her to supplement the household income. Their situation worsened when her father died in 1932. That same year, Carson received her M.A. in Zoology from Johns Hopkins University.
In June 1963, after several years of working for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, her professional career became more stable in 1936, when she began editing scientific papers for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. As Lytle joked, "She would edit them and turn them into English."
In 1941, Carson published her first book Under the Sea-Wind. Two weeks later Pearl Harbor was attacked. At this time, few Americans could be bothered to buy a book about the beauty of the ocean and its creatures. Carson wanted to help with the war effort, but as Lytle noted, "you're in the Fish and Wildlife Service - you're not exactly on the front line."
As the war intensified, Carson became concerned with the use of DDT and its effects on animals. During the 1940s, DDT was frequently used to prevent insect-borne illnesses and was largely viewed as a "lifesaver" for soldiers.
"This was not a time for science muckraking," said Lytle.
Carson spent several years gathering information on DDT in preparation for her book but this was not her sole concern. In addition to caring for her elderly mother, Carson's niece passed away at the age of 36, leaving her with a five-year-old boy.
In March of 1960, Carson discovered a lump in her breast. She consulted a doctor who told her that the lump was nothing to worry about. Soon she found another lump. This time, she went to an oncologist, who diagnosed her with breast cancer. He suggested that the previous doctor had either misdiagnosed her or had purposely lied to her to avoid causing any "womanly" distress.
"It was that attitude that Rachel Carson attacked in Silent Spring," said Lytle.
Amidst family tragedies, a battle with cancer and threats from the chemical industry, Carson managed to publish Silent Spring in 1962. The book was immediately attacked by government scientists who "considered her hostile."
Though Carson only argued that DDT be used as little as possible, the chemical was banned entirely in the United States in 1972. Carson did not live to see the outcome of her efforts. She died at the age of 56 on April 14, 1964.
Recently, debates surrounding Carson's role in the DDT ban have resurfaced. A number of groups have blamed Carson for malaria-related deaths in Africa, stating that DDT could prevent insect-borne illness in developing countries. However, Professor Lytle pointed out that among its health risks, DDT shortens lactation time, leading to higher infant mortality rates.
Professor Lytle emphasized Rachel Carson's greater role in launching the environmental movement in the United States, serving as a role model for activists and educators. Carson saw the Earth as an intricate network of life in which each organism played a special role.
If she were able to send a message to Earth's inhabitants today, "she would urge us all to think biocentrically rather than anthropocentrically," said Lytle.