Abstract

This paper summarizes the views of the author on the new book ’The Chemical Age. How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth’ by Frank A. von Hippel.

Highlights

  • Right at the beginning, the author describes as a shocking example of commitment to development how Thomas Midgley Jr., inventor of fluorotrichlorometane or Freon as a refrigerant gas in 1930 inhaled it to show its unharmful features in front of an audience

  • The book consists of four parts: two dealing with outstanding plant or animal diseases, sources of striking famines and mass mortality; one depicting how the history of chemical pesticides and warfare agents are interwoven with each other; and one describing the biological and ecological consequences of a freewheeling release of pesticides into the environment

  • Military attack gases were tamed, and the available industrial capacities were converted to pesticide production. This is the sad link between pesticides and chemical weapons, showing itself again after World War II that is woefully emphasized by von Hippel in this segment: the development of military chemicals gave birth to the first synthetic organic pesticides and boosted their further advancement after 1945

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Summary

Introduction

The author describes as a shocking example of commitment to development how Thomas Midgley Jr., inventor of fluorotrichlorometane or Freon as a refrigerant gas in 1930 inhaled it to show its unharmful features in front of an audience.

Results
Conclusion

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