How in the world does one connect Rachel Carson and DDT to the public health dangers of cigarettes?
Ask Philip Morris Andrew Leonard Jun. 03, 2008 | Two weeks ago, I linked to a story in the Prospect that detailed illuminating connections between Big Tobacco and my favorite right-wing pundit-for-hire Steve, “Junk Science” Milloy. The back story, as argued by John Quiggin and Tim Lambert, was that the same Big Tobacco-funded activists who tried to undermine a public health rationale for restricting cigarette smoking were also responsible for propagating the notion that “Silent Spring” author Rachel Carson was responsible for millions of deaths in malaria-plagued nations because of her role in demonizing the insecticide DDT. Ramesh Ponnuru, blogging in National Review Online, brought to my attention today the news that another longtime crusader against overzealous health regulators, Roger Bate, has responded to the Prospect story, and, according to Ponnuru, “sets the record straight” on how he has been “smeared” by Quiggin and Lambert. Corrections to the original story, says Ponnuru, a
