H-Sci-Med-Tech: New posted content
Erdogan on Jung, 'Reduce Diving to a Science: Kultur- und Technikgeschichte des Geratetauchens in der Fruhen Neuzeit (1420-1815)' [Review]
Jung, Michael. Reduce Diving to a Science: Kultur- und Technikgeschichte des Geratetauchens in der Fruhen Neuzeit (1420-1815). Ahrensburg: Tredition, 2023. Illustrations. 404 pp. $84.20 (cloth), ISBN 9783384052094.
Reviewed by
Julia G. Erdogan (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Published on
H-Sci-Med-Tech (October, 2024)
Commissioned by
Penelope K. Hardy (University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Printable Version: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=60298
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the history of oceans and seas. However, within this focus on the relationship between humans and the sea, the history of diving has been less explored in historical research. Most attention has been given to the twentieth century, particularly when scuba diving gained popularity.[1] Michael Jung has now conducted a study on diving technology during the early modern period. The book is based on his dissertation in the field of history, which is especially noteworthy as the author is also a physicist and an experienced diver. This is not Jung’s first book on the history of diving; he has previously published several popular science books in German and articles on the history of diving technology, all of which were well researched and based on a wide range of sources.[2]
Reduce Diving to a Science: Kultur- und Technikgeschichte des Gerätetauchens in der Frühen Neuzeit is no exception, matching the broad research and extensive source base of his other works. In fact, the density of sources is even greater, and the historical context is broader compared to his popular science books. The book consists of seven chapters, including an introduction and conclusion. It is structured chronologically from 1420 to 1815, with some chapters overlapping in time, reflecting the nonlinear nature of historical development and innovation. The chronological structure also traces the geographical progression of diving technology innovations, beginning with southern Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, and then following developments in western and northern Europe, including Sweden. The country-based approach is not rigid; the author frequently examines other developments, even those beyond Europe, and thereby shows entanglements in knowledge productions and circulation. The book is written in German (although an English translation has also recently been published), and it includes several illustrations that depict the technical developments discussed by the author. Additionally, it features an almost three-page timeline overview of important inventions and research in diving.
As the author explains, the aim of the research is to investigate the development of diving technology as a facet of cultural and technical history, and thereby to explore a shift in scientific practice. He adopts the approach of innovation research, seeking to understand where and how conditions were conducive to creating a research-friendly environment that fostered new diving innovations. This inquiry is connected to his thesis that scientific methods underwent a transformation in the seventeenth century, leading scientists to dive themselves, thus making diving a form of field research. To explore this change and questions of invention and innovation, he examines patents, granted privileges, construction designs, and scientific papers. In doing so, the author also delves into related aspects of scientific and economic history, as well as politics and cultural history. He succeeds in this well. In addition to covering the history of diving, the book provides a broad overview of the history of science in the early modern period, which is inherently linked to broader developments. For instance, Jung discusses the influence of Christianity on declining research in Italy and the impact of the Royal Society of London, which was explicitly dedicated to scientific rather than economic purposes, on the development of diving technology.
Jung does not limit his discussion to famous scientists of the time, such as Robert Boyle and Edmond Halley, who contributed to knowledge about diving, gases, and the oceans. He also examines the work of lesser-known scientists, like Denis Papin, who conducted significant research in the fields of steam and pneumatics. Through Jung’s explanations, readers can appreciate the range of diving techniques. The book is not just about the well-known diving bell; it also covers a wide array of different ideas for enabling underwater exploration. It portrays a continuous process of research and development throughout the early modern period as well as pauses in these endeavors, all connected to the broader history of shipping, safety, and discovery. Notably, Jung demonstrates that surface-supplied diving apparatuses had been developed before the Deane brothers used them in the first half of the twentieth century, challenging the notion of novelty and the linearity narrative.
As a physicist and diver, Jung explains both comprehensively and accessibly technical conditions and equipment. His expertise enables him to effectively assess whether various designs and diving equipment could have made underwater exploration feasible. Despite this impressive research and thorough descriptions, I have one point of criticism: the author sometimes gets lost in his extensive specialist knowledge. At times, the book strays from its central thesis, resulting in an overwhelming amount of information that can obscure the focus on the scientific historical questions. The text would have benefited from being more concise in some sections.
Nevertheless, this is a minor criticism in what is otherwise a well-researched and detailed study on early modern diving technology. It is a key work that explores this long and influential period for diving and the knowledge of physical properties of gases and water. It is a valuable read not only for those interested in the history of diving but also for those interested in the history of science and technological innovation.
Notes
[1]. Examples include Helen M. Rozwadowski, “‘Bringing Humanity Full Circle Back into the Sea’: Homo aquaticus, Evolution, and the Ocean,” Environmental Humanities 14, no. 1 (2022): 1-28; Eike-Christian Heine, “Forschen in einer extremen Umwelt: Praktiken unterwasserarchäologischer Feldforschung am Kap Gelidonya,” NTM – Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin 29 (2021): 171-202; Kay Dimmock and Terry Cummins, “History of Scuba Diving Tourism,” in Scuba Diving Tourism, ed. Ghazali Musa and Kay Dimmock (Abingdon: Routledge, 2013); and Michael A. Lang, Roberta L. Marinelli, Susan J. Roberts, and Phillip R. Taylor, eds., Research and Discoveries: The Revolution of Science through Scuba (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2013).
[2]. For example, Michael Jung, Karl Heinrich Klingert: Tauchgeschichtekompendium (Merzig-Weiler: Andrea Kriesbach-Jung, 1998); Michael Jung, Das Handbuch zur Tauchgeschichte: Techniken, Geräte, Berufe, Erfindungen (Stuttgart: Delius Klasing Verlag, 1999); and Michael Jung, Agenten unter Wasser: Schiffsziele im Visier deutscher Kampfschwimmer (Hamburg: E.S. Mittler and Sohn, 2015).
Citation:
Julia G. Erdogan.
Review of
Jung, Michael.
Reduce Diving to a Science: Kultur- und Technikgeschichte des Geratetauchens in der Fruhen Neuzeit (1420-1815).
H-Sci-Med-Tech, H-Net Reviews.
October, 2024.
URL:
https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=60298
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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