Abstract
Like metals and drugs, a third functional group of chemicals—pesticides—has a long-standing role in human history. The first recorded remediation of pests by humans occurred more than 70,000 years ago, predating metallurgy, the domestication of animals, and the cultivation of crops.
Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on, While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on.
— Augustus De Morgan
All who wish the Ulu well should daily repeat this motto: Do good carefully.
— Tom Harrisson
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© 2016 Alan Kolok
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Kolok, A.S. (2016). 70,000 Years of Pesticides. In: Modern Poisons. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-609-7_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-609-7_12
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