TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 155 the radius or circumference of a circle swept out by the tail-pole of a mill in tangible language, but such definitions hardly indicate that the grant showed “personal delight in the new technology” (p. 183). And did Eilmer of Malmesbury really fly, glide, or even use “flapping transit” (whatever that might be) for 600 feet? There were true pioneers—the promoters of windmills. These were the millwrights who put them up and first had to persuade landlords to have them erected. But of these men, it seems, we still know nothing. Alf.x Kf.ller Dr. Keller teaches the history of science and technology at the University of Leicester. The Big Smoke: A History ofAir Pollution in London since Medieval Times. By Peter Brimblecombe. London and New York: Methuen, 1987. Pp. xiv + 185; illustrations, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $39.95. In The Big Smoke Peter Brimblecombe, lecturer in atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia, traces the history of air pollution in London from early medieval times to the present. He notes evidence that the earliest dwellers suffered from poor ventila tion of smoke from their household fires and also from excessive effluvia produced by lime kilns, blacksmith forges, and other users of sea coal, a soft and highly polluting variety imported into London. By the 14th century, the smoke nuisance was sufficient to provoke investigations and remedial legislation. Food shortages and the Black Death subsequently brought a decrease in the size of the city and an attendant decrease in the use of fuel, but by the 17th century the smoke problem was back, increased greatly by the growth of industry in the metropolis and by the use of sea coal as a household fuel. Air pollution thereafter increased steadily, until by the 19th century the oppressive “black fogs” of London had become commonplace. Brim blecombe discusses the effect of the various pollutants of coal fires on human health, buildings and furniture, vegetation, and even litera ture and art. He gives an account of the efforts of reformers to arouse public awareness of the dangers of smoke and to generate legislation to curb the evil, culminating in the clean-air legislation passed after the Second World War. Among the strengths of the book is Brimblecombe’s concentration on air pollution in London, a megalopolis whose affairs always are topics of interest in themselves. A rather awkward style of writing is offset partially by the use of anecdotal material and by numerous illustrations. The author’s expertise in the chemistry of atmospheric pollution is put to use throughout the book, although these technical portions may slow the pace for the general reader. The volume helps fill a scholarly void in that, apart from E. Ashby and M. Anderson, The Politics ofClean Air (1981), there is no other book-length treatment of the subject of air pollution. 156 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE The principal weakness is the treatment of the political and legal factors behind the movement for smoke abatement and also the tech nical problems of abatement, matters that complicated the picture for reformers throughout the movement. Brimblecombe’s treatment of these essential components of his story is skimpy and sometimes er roneous. Omitted from his bibliography are two relevant articles from Technology and Culture. The book therefore is not the final word on the subject, even for London, but it is nevertheless an interesting and welcome contribution to the history of atmospheric pollution. Carlos Flick Dr. Flick teaches in the Department of History at Mercer University. The Mexican Colonial Copper Industry. By Elinore M. Barrett. Albu querque: University of New Mexico Press, 1987. Pp. xi + 143; tables, notes, bibliography, index. $22.50. This is a useful and interesting little book, dealing with a topic that is outside the mainstream of industrial history. During the period considered, 1540—1809, Mexico has generally been recognized as a producer of silver, but the history of the development of its copper industry in the period following the Spanish conquest is not widely known. Elinore Barrett’s work is based mainly on a study of government documentation from archives in Mexico City and Seville, notably the...
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Oct 7, 2000
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