Researcher, Jeonbuk National University, Korean Research Institute of Science, Technology and Civilization.
Uisahak. 2022 Dec;31(3):757-791. doi: 10.13081/kjmh.2022.31.757.
DDT exemplifies success and failure of modern science and technology. Once it was heralded as technological wonder that will deliver human from misery of insect-borne infectious disease. However DDT took dramatic downturn after failure in global malaria eradication program initiated by World Health Organization, with advent of DDT-resistant strain of mosquitoes. Although insecticide resistance has been know since late 19th century, the definitions and mythologies for finding resistance has not been settled until 1950s. This paper argues that discovery of DDT-resistant strain of body lice in prisoners of war camp in Korea during the Korean War provided essential knowledge and opportunity for advancing insecticide resistance studies. Since 1945 to the end of Korean War, US Army sprayed thousands of tonnes of DDT on Korean body and soil. DDT was only went into wide field application since 1943, was still a very new technology. The ways to deliver and utilize DDT was still under the investigation. And Korea, especially during the War, was ideal place to construct such knowledge and place it in the application. The main focus was to control public health threats, such as louse-borne typhus fever. Korean soldiers and prisoners of war exposed to regular dose of DDT, which soon gave rise to DDT-resistant strain of body lice. It was the first major outbreak of insecticide-resistance appeared in insect that has major public health importance. Until early 1950s, mechanisms of resistance, or even definition of insecticide resistance was unclear. Researchers in US Army and Department of Agriculture rushed to find the ways to quantify insecticide resistance. Network of laboratories, connecting Korea-Japan-US, had to devise new laboratory methods to rear, and test body lice. These body lice later migrate to laboratories in US, providing valuable asset for future insecticide resistance research in US. At the same time, laboratory methods of testing resistance in body louse became a standard across the globe, setting new research agenda through World Health Organization. This shows flow of knowledge, along with migration of body louse, during the Korean War. At the same time, this case show who new knowledge is constructed through the expense of involvement of minority populations, such as natives, soldiers, and prisoners of war.
滴滴涕是现代科学技术成功与失败的典范。曾经，它被誉为一项科技奇迹，可以将人类从由昆虫传播的传染病的苦难中拯救出来。然而，在世界卫生组织发起的全球疟疾根除计划失败后，滴滴涕的使用急剧减少，因为出现了抗滴滴涕的蚊子。尽管自 19 世纪末以来就已经知道杀虫剂耐药性，但直到 20 世纪 50 年代，才确定了寻找耐药性的定义和神话。本文认为，在朝鲜战争期间，朝鲜战俘营中的体虱对滴滴涕产生抗药性，这为推进杀虫剂耐药性研究提供了必要的知识和机会。自 1945 年朝鲜战争结束以来，美国陆军在韩国的人体和土壤上喷洒了数千吨滴滴涕。滴滴涕直到 1943 年才开始广泛应用，仍然是一项非常新的技术。其使用方式仍在研究之中。而朝鲜，尤其是在战争期间，是构建这种知识并将其应用的理想场所。主要重点是控制公共卫生威胁，如虱传斑疹伤寒。朝鲜士兵和战俘经常接触常规剂量的滴滴涕，这很快导致体虱对滴滴涕产生抗药性。这是第一个出现在具有重大公共卫生意义的昆虫身上的主要杀虫剂耐药性爆发。直到 20 世纪 50 年代早期，耐药机制甚至是杀虫剂耐药性的定义都还不清楚。美国陆军和农业部的研究人员急于寻找量化杀虫剂耐药性的方法。连接韩国、日本和美国的实验室网络不得不设计新的实验室方法来饲养和测试体虱。这些体虱后来迁移到美国的实验室，为美国未来的杀虫剂耐药性研究提供了宝贵的资产。与此同时，体虱抗药性测试的实验室方法在全球范围内成为标准，通过世界卫生组织制定了新的研究议程。这表明了在朝鲜战争期间，知识的流动以及体虱的迁移。同时，这一案例表明，新的知识是通过少数群体（如土著人、士兵和战俘）的参与来构建的。
