Colonialism and Science: Saint Domingue in the Old Regime by James E. McClellan

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 933 1827. The theme of innovation is developed by Robert Baldwin in his study of silver mining at Cobalt, Ontario, from 1903 to 1918. A similar note is struck by Bill Rawling in his discussion of bridge construction by engineers of the 1st Canadian Division during World War II. The social context is again emphasized in the section on medicine. In her discussion of the Canadian birth control movement, Diane Dodd shows how the application of specific technologies was influ­ enced by differing attitudes toward ethnicity and poverty, and C. David Naylor addresses historical and sociological context in explaining the attitude of Canadian doctors toward state health insurance in the period 1911 — 18. The interaction of intellectual, social, scientific, and administrative factors is most aptly illustrated in the paper by Michael Farley and two associates, which deals with the development of public health in Montreal from 1865 to 1885. The quality of work in this collection is impressive and will undoubtedly help promote the success of the journal. It is also apparent that the various authors share a belief that science, technol­ ogy, and medicine must be interpreted in a broad context. Whether this is sufficient to establish a strong connection between the various articles remains a question. K. G. Pryke Dr. Pryke, head of the Department of History at the University of Windsor, is researching medical history in Canada. Colonialism and Science: Saint Domingue in the Old Regime. By James E. McClellan. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992. Pp. xviii + 393; illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $52.00. How was the character of science shaped by the colonial experi­ ence? How did science facilitate colonial development? Saint Domingue, the richest colony in the world and site of one of only three scientific societies in the Western hemisphere in the 1780s, would seem to provide a perfect case study for scholars interested in answering these questions and others concerning the relationship of science to society and of technology to culture. James McClellan has an easy time demonstrating that science in Saint Domingue was sponsored by a mercantilist state dedicated to increasing profits from sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton. Scientists emphasized the utility of their research to enhance the power of colonial planters and merchants and preserve the social status quo. One of the best examples of progressive scientific measures em­ ployed in the service of an inhumane social system involved the introduction of inoculation to Saint Domingue in 1745, two decades 934 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE before the Faculty of Medicine of Paris approved the practice and three decades before it became widely accepted in France. Debates about the moral, religious, or medical validity of inoculation did not surface in Saint Domingue because its economic benefits seemed so obvious. By 1774, thousands of slaves were being inoculated by roving inoculators, who for a modest per capita fee promised to protect the property of plantation owners. That science facilitated colonial development in other respects is difficult to prove. Certainly the intent was there. Research into poisons was prompted by the elites’ fear of being poisoned by slaves. Breadfruit was brought to Saint Domingue so that hungry mouths might be fed more cheaply. The cochineal insect was imported in hopes of producing a highly profitable red dye. Bark from an indigenous form of the Peruvian cinchona tree was tested as a cure for malaria. Inventors competed to find a way of preserving the paper required by all bureaucracies from the ravages of bugs and worms. But it does not seem that effective antidotes to poison emerged or that the anxieties of whites were ever allayed. Although breadfruit was distributed to twelve private gardens and public stations around Saint Domingue, the project’s outcome is unknown. The revolution cut off the possibility of a cochineal industry. Tests on Saint Domingue quinine proved disappointing. The only effective treatment for paper was deemed too dangerous for actual use because it contained arsenic. The most telling point of the failure of science to further colonialism is the fact that by 1804 Haitians prevailed in their revolution, aided by yellow fever and pests like mosquitoes, hies, ants, aphids, and rats that the...