J. Gordon Edwards (entomologist and mountaineer)
Encyclopedia
J. Gordon Edwards was an entomologist, mountain climber
, author, and park ranger
. Edwards was professor, and later emeritus professor of Biology, San Jose State University
.
and critic of Rachel Carson
. He was active as a member of, or consultant for, a wide range of lobby groups opposed to environmental regulation, including the American Council on Science and Health
. According to Edwards, he was also active as a member of several environmental groups such as the Sierra Club
(which published one of his books,) and the Audubon Society. Edwards was a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences
. He has published his ideas in 21st Century Science and Technology, a publication of the Lyndon LaRouche Movement
. He was co-author, with Steven Milloy
of 100 things you should know about DDT. Edwards last work entitled, DDT: A Case Study in Scientific Fraud was published in 2004 after his death in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, where he makes the impassioned plea "The ban on DDT, founded on erroneous or fraudulent reports
and imposed by one powerful bureaucrat, has caused millions of deaths, while sapping the strength and productivity of countless human beings in underdeveloped countries. It is time for an honest
appraisal and for immediate deployment of the best currently available means to control insect-borne diseases. This means DDT."
Edwards insisted that "no human beings have ever been harmed by DDT." According to 21st Century Science and Technology, a photograph appeared in the September 1971 issue of Esquire magazine showing Edwards eating a teaspoon full of DDT, which he claimed to do on a weekly basis to demonstrate the lack of toxicity of DDT for humans and vertebrate
animals. Because of its role in preventing the spread of insect-borne diseases, Edwards asserted that "DDT has saved more millions of lives than any other man-made chemical."
He died on July 19, 2004, of a heart attack
while hiking up Divide Mountain on the eastern edge of Glacier National Park (U.S.) with his wife, Alice. He was 84.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, author, and park ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
. Edwards was professor, and later emeritus professor of Biology, San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
.
DDT and environmental issues
Edwards was prominent as a supporter of the use of DDTDDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
and critic of Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
. He was active as a member of, or consultant for, a wide range of lobby groups opposed to environmental regulation, including the American Council on Science and Health
American Council on Science and Health
The American Council on Science and Health is a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 by Dr. Elizabeth Whelan that produces peer-reviewed reports on issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment and health...
. According to Edwards, he was also active as a member of several environmental groups such as the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
(which published one of his books,) and the Audubon Society. Edwards was a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
. He has published his ideas in 21st Century Science and Technology, a publication of the Lyndon LaRouche Movement
LaRouche movement
The LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural network that promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. It has included scores of organizations and companies around the world. Their activities include campaigning, private intelligence gathering, and publishing numerous periodicals,...
. He was co-author, with Steven Milloy
Steven Milloy
Steven J. Milloy is a commentator for Fox News and runs the Web site junkscience.com, which is dedicated to "debunking" what Milloy labels "faulty scientific data and analysis." On Fox News Channel he is billed as a "Junk Science commentator." He describes himself as a libertarian.Among the topics...
of 100 things you should know about DDT. Edwards last work entitled, DDT: A Case Study in Scientific Fraud was published in 2004 after his death in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, where he makes the impassioned plea "The ban on DDT, founded on erroneous or fraudulent reports
and imposed by one powerful bureaucrat, has caused millions of deaths, while sapping the strength and productivity of countless human beings in underdeveloped countries. It is time for an honest
appraisal and for immediate deployment of the best currently available means to control insect-borne diseases. This means DDT."
Edwards insisted that "no human beings have ever been harmed by DDT." According to 21st Century Science and Technology, a photograph appeared in the September 1971 issue of Esquire magazine showing Edwards eating a teaspoon full of DDT, which he claimed to do on a weekly basis to demonstrate the lack of toxicity of DDT for humans and vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
animals. Because of its role in preventing the spread of insect-borne diseases, Edwards asserted that "DDT has saved more millions of lives than any other man-made chemical."
Mountaineering
Edwards was a park ranger in Glacier National Park for nine years beginning in 1947, and returned often in the years following. He spent much of his free time exploring the rugged terrain of the park, and pioneered many different routes up a variety of its spectacular mountains. In the forward to his mountaineering classic, A Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park, Rolf Larson gave him the unofficial title of "patron saint of climbing" in the park. The guide book was first published by the Sierra Club in 1961, with the most recently updated edition published in 1995. Edwards was also a founding member of the Glacier Mountaineering Society, a group that publishes an annual climbing journal and continues to be active in organizing hikes and climbs throughout the park.He died on July 19, 2004, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while hiking up Divide Mountain on the eastern edge of Glacier National Park (U.S.) with his wife, Alice. He was 84.
External links
- Obit and memorials of Edwards on "Blog of death"
- Gordon Edwards, Rachel Carson and DDT (criticism of The Lies of Rachel Carson by Bernard Quetchenbach)
- DDT-eating scientist exposes eco-fraud - Jack CashillJack CashillJack Cashill is an American author and "right-wing journalist." Cashill is a weekly contributor to the WorldNetDaily website and executive editor of Ingram's Magazine in Kansas City, Missouri....
, excerpted from his book Hoodwinked: How Intellectual Hucksters Have Hijacked American Culture