Historical Antecedents in

the Course of Science and

Technology:
Middle & Modern Times
Consolidated by:
Mrs. Lorna C. Aban
Center for Natural Sciences
School of Health and Natural Sciences
 Middle Times (500–1500 CE)
• The start of Middle Ages was tainted by massive invasions and
migrations.
• Wars were prevalent this time. As such, great technology was
needed in the fields of weaponry, navigation, mass food and farm
production, and health.
• The wars have resulted in population decline, but during the latter
part of the period, there were significant rise in population.
• Trade and commerce among nations increased, which resulted in
greater demands for transportation technology.
• Some of the most innovative minds came from this period
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
Printing Press
• After the Chinese developed woodblock
printing, Johann Gutenberg was able to
invent printing press, a more reliable
way of printing using a cast type.
• He utilized wooden machines that
extracted juices from fruits, attached to
them a metal impression of the letters,
and pressed firmly the cast metal into a
piece of paper, which then made an Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R.
exact impression of paper. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City. All Rights Reserved
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/printing-
press
Printing Press
• The printing press was invented to
address the need for publishing
books that would spread information
to many people at a faster rate.
• This invention is also made
accessible to individuals who could
not even write (Streissguth, 1997). Book printing had existed in China since
the 11th century, but Gutenberg was
the first to produce serial standardized
individual parts, which made the
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Gutenberg printing process faster and less
https://www.britannica.com/video/171689/history-printing-press-work- expensive.
discussion-Johannes-Gutenberg
Microscope
• There is a growing population caused by
massive migration and urbanization during
the period
• More people transferred to polluted and
populated areas which resulted in people
getting sick and needing medical attention.
• To develop the proper medicines for He is associated with the
illness, experts must understand the invention of the first optical
telescope and/or the first
sickness through an investigation. truly compound microscope
• Thus, they needed a device that could Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., &
magnify things invisible to the eye. Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society.
C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacharias_Janssen
Microscope
• Guided by the principles used for
inventions of eyeglasses in earlier
years, Zacharias Janssen was able
to develop the first compound
microscope.
• With this device, people were able to
observe organism that were normally
unseen by naked eye.
• The microscope was the key in
preventing and curing various
illnesses (Davidson, 2015).
Three Dutch spectacle makers—Hans
Jansen, his son Zacharias Jansen,
and Hans Lippershey—have received
credit for inventing the compound
microscope about 1590.
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R.
(2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/microscope/History-
of-optical-microscopes#ref1255667
Telescope
• Since Middle Ages is also known as the
Age of Exploration, the need for nautical
inventions was high.
• Considering the vast and empty oceans
that separated lands, ship captains
needed to see far and wide for them to
navigate or to avoid dangers at sea.
• The invention of telescope, an optical
instrument that helps in observation of
remote objects, was greater help for
navigators during this time.
One of Galileo's first telescopes. He
did not invent the telescope, but he
did make several improvements and
was the first to aim one at the stars.
(Image: © NASA)
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno,
R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.space.com/21950-who-invented-the-
telescope.html
Telescope
• Its invention is attributed to the lens-
maker Hans Lippershey.
• In 1608, Lippershey laid claim to a
device that could magnify objects three
times. His telescope had a concave
eyepiece aligned with a convex
objective lens. Together with the
telescope, the invention of the
compass, oars, and rudders made sea
travelling easier and safer (Helden,
1989).
Hans Lippershey (or Lipperhey), a
Dutch eyeglass maker, is the first
person to apply for a patent for a
telescope.
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno,
R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.space.com/21950-who-invented-the-
telescope.html
War Weapons
• Since wars were widespread during
Middle Ages, great development in the
weaponry technology occurred.
• All sides must develop weaponries not
as only as offensive tool but also
defensive instrument.
• For open-area battles, people developed
cross bows and long bows so that they
could attack the enemies long ranges,
keeping themselves safe with the
protection of walls and fortresses.
the European warfare of the Middle
Ages. Technological, cultural, and
social developments had forced a
severe transformation in the
character of warfare
Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno,
R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.history.com/news/medieval-weapons-
knights-middle-ages
War Weapons
• in close range hand to hand
combat, soldiers should wear
something to protect themselves, a
need addressed by the creation of
iron body armors.
• However, body armors were heavy
and limited their movements. The
problem was eventually solved by Watch Overview of the Middle Ages at
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanitie
the inventions of chainmail. s/world-history/medieval-times/european-
middle-ages-and-serfdom/v/overview-of-
the-middle-ages

Reference: McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
http://www.medievalwarfare.info/weapons.htm
 Modern Times
• The booming world population
during 19th century onwards
demanded that more goods be
produced at faster rate.
• People needed efficient means
of transportation to trade more
goods and cover larger
distance.
• Machines that required animals
to operate must thus,
upgraded.
Industrial Revolution started in 18th-century Great
Britain, where the pace of change appeared to
speed up. This acceleration in the processes of
technical innovation brought about an array of
new tools and machines
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology,
and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/industrial-revolution-and-
technology/
Modern Times
• Faster and easier means to
communicate and compute should be
developed to establish connections
between and among all nations.
• However, due to massive
The Industrial Revolution was the
industrialization, the modern times transition to new manufacturing
again faced more complicated processes in Europe and the United
problems. Food processing and States, in the period from about 1760 to
sometime between 1820 and 1840.
medicine posed some bigger
challenges since health was great McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science,
Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
concern. https://www.history.com/topics/industrial-
revolution/industrial-revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
Pasteurization
• As people were able to develop better
means of production to meet needs of the
population, food preservation and food
safety became an issue.
• The challenge to keep manufactured food
from deteriorating was greater than the
dairy products, especially milk, since they Louis Pasteur, a French biologist
usually spoiled faster. microbiologist, and chemist,
• These goods needed to be consumed found a way to solve the
problem.
almost immediately after production or
they would cause illness like diphtheria, McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R.
(2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
food poisoning and typhoid fever. Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-
Pasteur/Research-career
Pasteurization
• He invented pasteurization, the process of
heating dairy products to kill the harmful
bacteria that allow them to spoil faster.
• Through this process, milk could be stored
and consumed for a longer period.
• It also prevented illnesses caused by
harmful bacteria (Macalester College,
2010). Other contributions of science,
technology, and medicine included
his work on molecular asymmetry,
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E fermentation, and vaccination
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Pasteur/Research-career
Petroleum Refinery
• The modern times demanded better
means of powering homes and
transportation.
• At first, people used animal oils for
generating light to illuminate their
homes.
• However, the production of animal oils
could not keep up with the demand.
• Faced with this concern, Samuel M.
Kier was able to invent kerosene by
refining petroleum.
Samuel Martin Kier was an
American inventor and
businessman who is credited with
founding the American petroleum
refining industry.
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing,
Inc. Quezon City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Kier
Petroleum Refinery
• Kerosene was later 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 (Skrabec, 2010).
• At present, petroleum is widely used in
powering automobiles, factories, and McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R.
(2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
power plants, among others. Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Kier
Telephone
• The more people get connected
by trade and exploration, the more
they needed a way to easily
maintain these connections and
communicate with each other in
real time.
• Government likewise needed
some kind of communication Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized
system which would allow them to communication. He secured exclusive
rights to the technology and launched
administer their states well. the Bell Telephone Company in 1877
• the development of the telephone
by Alexander Graham Bell was McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)

one of the most important
inventions at that time.
Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Quezon City.
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-
graham-bell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell
Calculator
• In 1642, the Renaissance saw the invention
of the mechanical calculator (by Wilhelm
Schickard and several decades later Blaise
Pascal), a device that was at times
somewhat over-promoted as being able to
perform all four arithmetic operations with
minimal human intervention.
• 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.
Schickard’s design was preserved
only in a few sketches and letters to
the astronomer Kepler. They
remained lost until 1935.
McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018)
Science, Technology, and Society. C & E Publishing,
Inc. Quezon City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_calculator
https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/calculat
ors/1/47
Calculator Blaise Pascal Wilhelm Schickard

• 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 computer.

McNamara, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno, R. (2018) Science, Technology, and Society. C & E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_calculator
https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/calculators/1/47
 Considering the S&T development in different period,
what do you think will today’s priority be that may spark
innovation?