For other uses, see DDT . | Section2 = | Section7 = }} DDT (from its trivial name, Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane) is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. DDT is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history. It was first synthesized in 1874 but its insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939. In the early years of World War II DDT was used with great effect to combat mosquitoes spreading malaria, typhus, and other insect-borne diseases among both military and civilian populations. The Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller of Geigy Pharmaceutical was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1948 "for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods."[LINK: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1948/] NobelPri