Republic of the Philippines

Carlos Hilado Memorial State College

Talisay City, Negros Occidental

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY

(GEC STS)

Historical Antecedents in the Course of Science and Technology invisible to the eye. Guided by the principles used for the
invention of eyeglasses in earlier years. Zaccharias Janssen was
able to develop the first compound microscope. With this
MEDIEVAL/MIDDLE device, people were able to observe organisms that were
AGES normally unseen by the naked eye. The microscope was key in
The start of discovering new means in preventing and curing various illness.
the middle ages was
marred by massive Telescope
invasions and Since the Middle Ages was also known as the Age of
migrations. Wars were Exploration, the need for nautical inventions was high.
prevalent during this Considering the vast and empty oceans that separated lands,
time. As such, great ship captains needed to see far and wide for them to navigate or
technology was to avoid dangers at sea. The invention of the telescope, an
needed in the fields of optical instrument that helps in the observation of remote
weaponry, navigation, objects, was a great help for navigators during this time.
mass food and farm Together with the telescope, the invention of the compass, oars,
production, and health. The wars have resulted in population and rudders made sea travelling easier and safer.
decline, but during the latter part of the period, there was a
significant rise in population. Trade and commerce among War Weapons
nations increased, which resulted in greater demands for Since wars were widespread during the Middle Ages,
transportation technology. Some of the most innovative minds great development in the weaponry technology also occurred.
came from this period. All sides must develop weaponries not only as offensive tools but
also as defensive instruments. For open-area battles, people
Printing Press developed cross bows and long bows so that they could attack
After the Chinese the enemies at long ranges, keeping themselves safe with the
developed woodblock printing, protection of walls and fortresses. Additionally, in close-range
Johan Gutenberg was able to hand-to-hand combat, soldiers should wear something to
invent the printing press, a more protect themselves, a need addressed by the creation of iron
reliable way of printing using a body armors. However, body armors were heavy and limited
cast type. He utilized wooden their movements. The problem was eventually solved by the
machines that extracted juices from fruits, attached to them a invention of the chainmail.
metal impression of the letters, and pressed firmly the cast metal
into a piece of paper, which then made an exact impression on MODERN TIMES
paper. The booming world population during the nineteenth
This general invention soon evolved to the mechanical century onwards demanded that more goods to be produced at
printing press which was eventually used all over the world. The a faster rate. People needed efficient means of transportation to
printing press was invented to address the need for publishing trade more goods and cover a larger distance. Machines that
books that would spread information to many people at a faster required animals to operate must thus be upgraded. Faster and
rate. This invention also made works accessible to individuals easier means to communicate and compute should be developed
who could not even write. to established connection between and among nations. All these
needs resulted in the development of industries. However, due
Microscope to massive industrialization, the modern times again faced more
Another invention in complicated problems. Food processing and medicine posed
the Middle Ages is the some of the bigger challenges since health was of great concern.
microscope. Growing
populations caused massive Pasteurization
migration and urbanization As people were able to develop better means of
during the period. More and production to meet the needs of the population, food
more people transferred to preservation and food safety became an issue. The challenge to
polluted and populated urban keep manufactured food from deteriorating was greater for dairy
areas which resulted in more products, is especially milk, since they usually spoiled faster.
people getting sick and These goods needed to be consumed almost immediately after
needing medical attention. production or they would cause illness like diphtheria, food
To develop the proper poisoning, and typhoid fever. Since transporting these products
medicines for illness, experts would also take time, it would be impossible to trade them.
must understand the sickness Louis Pasteur, a French biologist, microbiologist, and
through an investigation. chemist, found a way to solve the problem. He invented
Thus, they needed a device pasteurization, the process of heating dairy products to kill the
that could magnify things harmful bacteria that allow them to spoil faster. Through this
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process, milk could be stored and consumed for a longer period.
It also prevented illnesses caused by harmful bacteria. Other • Mcnamara, DJ. et.al. (2018). Science, Technology & Society.
contributions of Pasteur to science, technology, and medicine Quezon City: C & E Publishing Inc.
included his works on molecular asymmetry, fermentation, and • Serafica, JP. et.al (2018). Science, Technology & Society. 1st
vaccination. Edition. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore.
• Bunch, B. & Hellemans, A. (2004). The History of Science &
Petroleum Refinery Technology. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The modern times demanded better means of powering • Caoli. History of Science and Technology of the Philippines
homes and transportation. At first, people used animal oils for  Video: Stephen Colbert’s interview with Neil Tyson:
generating light to illuminate their homes. However, the https://www.youtube.com/watch
production of animal oils could not keep up with the demand. v=YXh9RQCvxmg&noredirect=1
Faced with this concern. Samuel M. Kier was able to invent
kerosene by refining petroleum. Kerosene was latter on referred
to as the “illuminating oil” because it was used at first to provide
lighting to homes. After some time, it was applied for heating
purposes. The development of kerosene established the
petroleum refinery industry. At present, petroleum is widely
used in powering automobiles, factories, and power plants,
among others.

Telephone
The more people got connected by trade and
exploration, the more they needed a way to easily maintain
these connections and communicate with each other in real
time. Governments likewise needed some kind of
communication system which would allow them to administer
their states well. Important day-to-day decisions must be
discussed and addressed at the fastest time possible. Thus, the
development of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell was
one of the most important inventions at that time.

Calculator
Although an earlier version of the calculator had already
been developed, circumstances in the modern times required a
faster way to compute more complicated equations. Computing
devices must also be easy to carry since they would be utilized
on a day-to-day basis. The creation of modern calculators did
not only pave the way for easier arithmetic calculations, but also
resulted in the development of more complex processing
machines like the computer.

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