Biology in the Chemical Industry: Scientific Approaches to the Problem of Insecticide Resistance, 1920s–1960s

Abstract

This paper examines the intensification of research and development into organic and inorganic insecticidal compounds during the first half of the twentieth century, and the involvement of biologists within the insecticide industry. It attempts to trace the history of resistance research, while highlighting the role of the biologist within the chemical industry prior to the biotechnology era.Specifically, this paper looks at the reaction of two private companies on the finding of resistance to insecticides: Geigy and Bayer. Geigy, who discovered the insecticidal properties of DDT, initially attributed resistance to ineffective application of insecticides or variable external factors. Only after doubling of the amount of DDT had failed to achieve the desired result, did the company undertake a biological research programme in an effort to understand resistance from a biological— as opposed to chemical— perspective. Ultimately, scientists both inside and outside the industry accepted the biological fact of resistance and the realisation that chemical control by itself would not be able to circumvent an insect population's ability to tolerate lethal dosages of chemical insecticides. The shift in the insecticide industry's approach to biological research is instructive in understanding how industry can approach complex issues.