Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Wayland Jackson Jack Hayes, Jr. made enduring contributions to pesticide science. Hayes Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology, third edition, carries his name to recognize his profound commitment to improve the knowledge of toxicology, in general,
the epidemiology of pesticide poisoning, and the medical management of cases. He
wrote and spoke often of the importance of the first principles of toxicology as Chief
Toxicologist at Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, and later as Professor of
Toxicology, School of Medicine,Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Hayes contributed his first volume to the toxicological literature as the Clinical
Handbook on Economic Poisons (1963), replacing Clinical Memoranda on Economic
Poisons first issued in March 1950 as separate releases on several new insecticides. The
booklet described the diagnosis and treatment of persons who may have had extensive
or intensive exposure to economic poisons. It was prepared primarily for the guidance of physicians and other public health professionals. The 1963 booklet concerned
the use of organophosphorus insecticides and acute toxicities associated with pesticides such as arsenic, thallium, phosphorous, and kerosene because they were leading
causes of deaths associated with pesticides. Hayes acknowledged the great potential
value of the materials used as pesticides and urged the careful collection of clinical data
and related information concerning poisoning, a theme that became much clearer in
the expanded Toxicology of Pesticides (1975). Toxicology of Pesticides and his works that
ix
Dedication
followed gave attention to those materials that are manufactured in large amounts,
that are known to have caused poisoning relatively frequently, or that are of special
interest for some other reason. The subjects of clinical studies included: (1) persons
with heavy occupational exposureincluding malaria control spray operators, farmers, orchardists, spray pilots, and pest control operators; (2) volunteers who take part in
strictly controlled experimental investigations; and (3) patients who are sick from accidental over-exposure to pesticides. In the preface to his next major work and the first
edition in the present series, he called attention to the need for basic toxicology education. Pesticides Studied in Man (1982) and The Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology represent
his commitment to the collection and dissemination of critical research and clinical
experience in Hayes career as a leader in pesticide science.
Widespread use of the Clinical Handbook on Economic Poisons and active participation in public debate concerning pesticide use encouraged Hayes to write of the general importance of the principles of toxicology. In Toxicology of Pesticides (1975) and his
subsequent books he retained the strong clinical content but offered much expanded
coverage of principles of toxicology, the conditions of exposure, the effects on human
health, problems of diagnosis and treatment, the means to prevent injury, and even
brief outlines on the impact of pesticides on domestic animals and wildlife.
In the public arena, Hayes spoke out on an expanding role of toxicology to address
issues of public and environmental health related to pesticide use that became critical
during the 1960s and 1970s following publication of Rachel Carsons polemic Silent
Spring (1962). Concerning the resulting intense public debate about pesticides, Hayes
wrote in the Preface to Toxicology of Pesticides:
The pesticide problem is not merely one concerning the chemical industry and professional farmers,
foresters, and applicators, or one concerning only those who wish to protect wildlife, or those responsible
for control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases of man and his livestock. Rather, the pesticide
problem concerns every person who wants food at a reasonable price and who wants his home free from
vermin. The problem can be solved only on the basis of sound toxicological principles. Knowledge of these
principles permits agreement and a cooperative approach on the part of persons professionally responsible
for protection of our food, our health, and our wildlife, respectively. Ignorance of these principles limits
some other persons to a partisan approach that may be dangerous to the common good.
Dedication
xi
xii
Dedication
Hayes had a full professional life of national and international service. He was a
consultant on the toxicology of pesticides to the World Health Organization, the Pan
American Sanitary Bureau, the American Medical Association, the U. S. Department
of Agriculture/Environmental Protection Agency, the American Conference of
Governmental Industrial Hygienists and the National Academy of Sciences-National
Research Council. He served on numerous governmental committees and editorial
boards. He was a charter member of the Society of Toxicology in 1961 and served
as its eleventh president 197172. As president of the Society, he staunchly defended
the integrity of toxicologists in regulatory affairs (Science 174: 545546, 1971) and
launched criticism of the USEPAs dismissal of the recommendation of its own
Scientific Advisory Committee in response to external pressure. As president, Hayes
made a strong plea for the inclusion of toxicology in textbooks of biology, zoology,
hygiene, and general science (Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 19, iii, 1971).
Both subjects are topical today. Other society memberships included the American
Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the American Society
of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He became a Diplomat of The Academy of
Toxicological Sciences in 1989.
Wayland Hayes was a sought after expert witness, particularly in cases involving pesticides. His commanding and distinguished presence, his southern accent and
gracious manner coupled with his encyclopedic knowledge rarely failed to win the
case. However, there was one case in Wisconsin where he was unable to convince the
jury that DDT was not a potent poison. Finally, he walked over to the evidence table,
picked up the bottle of DDT and ingested a teaspoon of the evidence. When asked
about how that worked out, he replied, Well I may have walked a little funny, but we
won the case.
Hayes clearly recognized the difficulties associated with collecting meaningful dosage-response information. He suggested that failure to collect such valuable data might
result from lack of recognition of its importance in diagnostics. He closed on a theme
that has shaped his career and that remains central to the spirit and content of the
current volumes now dedicated to his life and career saying, Clinicians who attend
patients poisoned by a pesticide or by any other material are urged to be alert to the
possibility of getting new information on dosage.
Robert I. Krieger, Ph.D.
John W. Doull, M.D., Ph.D.