Technical review of the 174 publications listed in a bibliography on DDT previously published by the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine in June of 1944. According to the report's introduction, "many of these accounts appeared in periodicals not readily available to entomologists interested in chemical methods of insect control. It is believed that the issuance of this digest will be helpful to all persons having an interest in the development of control measures for injurious insects or in the manufacture of DDT." The report concludes with the Bureau discouraging the use of DDT insecticides for the control of pests injurious to agricultural crops.

DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was developed as a synthetic insecticide in the 1940s. It was initially used to combat malaria, typhus, and other insect-borne diseases. The EPA banned DDT in 1972 after research showed harmful impacts to wildlife and potential human health risks.