THE PACIFIC CIRCLEthepacificcircle.com/wp-content/uploads/26.Apr11.pdf · Book Prize of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society for Granting the Seasons:

April 2011 BULLETIN NO. 26 ISSN 1520-3581

CONTENTS

PACIFIC CIRCLE NEWS ........................................................................................ 2

HSS NEWS ................................................................................................................. 3

FUTURE MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, and CALLS FOR PAPERS ....................................................... 5

BOOK, JOURNAL, EXHIBITION, and RESEARCH NEWS ................................................................ 6

SELECTED RECENT PACIFIC BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................. 8

BOOK REVIEWS .................................................................................................... 13The Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage ........................................13Droughts, Floods & Cyclones: El Niños That Shaped Our Colonial Past........16In the Shadow of Melting Glaciers: Climate Change and Andean Society ......20

SUBSCRIPTION and STAFF INFORMATION .................................................. 22

THE PACIFIC CIRCLE

� BulletinofthePacificCircle

PACIFIC CIRCLE NEWS

Circle Member Awards and Honors

CongratulationstoNathanSivin,recipientofthe2011DonaldE.OsterbrockBookPrizeoftheHistoricalAstronomyDivisionoftheAmericanAstronomicalSocietyforGranting the Seasons: The Chinese Astronomical Reform of 1280, With a Study of Its Many Dimensions and an Annotated Translation of Its Records,NewYork:Springer,2009.

Recent and Forthcoming Publications and Scholarly Activities by Circle Members

HansKonradVanTilburg,A Civil War Gunboat in Pacific Waters: Life on Board USS Saginaw,Gainesville,FL:UniversityofFloridaPress,2010.

RicardoRoque,Headhunting and Colonialism: Anthropology and the Circulation of Human Skulls in the Portuguese Empire, 1870-1930,NewYork:CambridgeImperialandPostcolonialStudiesSeries,PalgraveMacmillan,2010.

GaryJ.Tee,“TheElusiveC.D.Voy,”Geoscience Society of New Zealand Journal of the Historical Studies Group,No.39(September2010),17-50.

JamesRodgerFleming,RoderD.Launius,andDavidH.DeVorkin,eds.Globalizing Polar Science: Reconsidering the International Polar and Geophysical Years,PalgraveStudiesintheHistoryofScienceandTechnology,NewYork:PalgraveMacmillan,2010.(Pleasenote:thisvolumecontainsindividualcontributionsfromseveralCirclemembers.)

Herbert,Sandra,“‘AUniversalCollector:’CharlesDarwin’sExtractionsofMeaningfromhisGalapagosExperience,”Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences,Series4,Volume61,SupplementII,No.5(2010),45-68.

MiltonLewisandK.L.MacPherson,eds.Public Health in Asia and the Pacific: Historical and Comparative Perspectives,Routledge,paperbackeditionavailableinApril2011(originaleditionin2008)andLewisandMacPherson,eds.Health Transitions and the Double Disease Burden in Asia and the Pacific: Historical Reponses to Noncommunicable and Communicable Diseases,Routledge,forthcomingin2011.

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Proposed Sponsored Conference Papers and Panels

MembersofthePacificCirclehaverespectfullysubmittedforthe2011annualmeetingoftheNorthAmericanConferenceonBritishStudiesinDenvernextNovemberaproposalforaroundtableon19th-and20th-centuryAustralianandNewZealandscience.Proposedpapersinclude:RuthBarton,“Geologists,JudgesandMissionaries:TheScientificMenofColonialNewZealand;”SimonAndreThode,“AnAccountofSomeEnormousFossilBones:BritishScientificExchangeandNarrativesofDiscoveryoftheNewZealandMoa,1839-1956;”RoyMacLeod,“ImperialScienceundertheSouthernCross:ReflectionsonthePracticeofAnglo-AustralianScience”andJanetBellGarber,“JohnGould,‘BirdMan’ofAustralia.”PeterH.HoffenbergwillserveasChairandModerator.

HSS NEWS

TheHistoryofScienceSocietyinvitesnominationsforitsvariousprizes.Tosubmitanomination,pleasevisittheHSSWebsiteathttp://hssonline.orgorcontacttheExecutiveOffice:[email protected],440GeddesHall,UniversityofNotreDame,NotreDame,IN46556.Phone:(574)631-1194.

Pfizer Award ThePfizerAward,establishedin1958throughthegenerosityofthePfizerCompany,honorsanoutstandingbookdealingwiththehistoryofscience.ThebookmustbepublishedinEnglishduringaperiodofthreecalendaryearsimmediatelyprecedingtheyearofcompetition(bookseligiblefor2011werepublishedin2008,2009,or2010).Editedvolumes,aswellasworkswithmorethantwoauthors,arenoteligible.Amulti-volumeworkbyoneortwoauthorsmaybenominatedonlyafterthepublicationofallthevolumes.

Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize TheDavisPrize,establishedthroughthegenerosityofMilesandAudreyDavis,recognizesbooksinthehistoryofsciencedirectedtoawidepublic(includingundergraduateinstruction).Bookspublishedin2008,2009,or2010areeligibleforthe2011prize.Eligiblebooksshouldbeintroductoryinassumingnopreviousknowledgeofthesubjectandcanintroduceanentirefield,achronologicalperiod,anationaltradition,ortheworkofanoteworthyindividual.Multi-authoredoreditedbooksareeligible,whereasunrevisedreprintsofpreviouslypublishedworksarenot.

Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Prize TheHistoryofWomeninSciencePrize,renamedinrecognitionofProfessorRossiter’spioneeringworkinthefield,recognizesanoutstandingbook(or,ineven-


numberedyears,article)onthehistoryofwomeninscience.Thebookmaytakeabiographical,institutional,theoretical,orotherapproachtothetopic,whichmayincludediscussionsofwomen’sactivitiesinscience,analysesofpastscientificpracticesthatdealexplicitlywithgender,andinvestigationsregardingwomenasviewedbyscientists.Thesemayrelatetomedicine,technology,andthesocialsciencesaswellasthenaturalsciences.Thebookmusthavebeenpublishednomorethanfouryearsbeforetheyearofaward(bookspublishedfrom2007-2010areeligibleforthe2011prize).

Joseph H. Hazen Education Prize TheJosephH.HazenEducationPrize,establishedthroughthesupportoftheJosephH.HazenFoundation,isawardedinrecognitionofexemplarycontributionstotheteachingofthehistoryofscience.Educationalactivitiesareconstruedinthebroadestsenseandinclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowing:classroomteaching(K-12,undergraduate,graduate,orextendededucation),mentoringofyoungscholars,museumwork,journalism,organizationandadministrationofeducationalprograms,influentialwriting,educationalresearch,innovationinthemethodologyofinstruction,preparationofpedagogicalmaterials,orpublicoutreachthroughnon-printmedia.Nominationsshouldincludeac.v.ofthenominee,astatementofnotmorethan1,000wordsdescribingherorhiseducationalcontributions,andtwosecondingletters.Allnominationsremainactiveforthreeyears.

HSS 2011 Annual Meeting: Call for Papers TheHistoryofScienceSocietywillholdits2011AnnualMeetingattheRenaissanceClevelandHotelindowntownClevelandonNovember3-6.Themeetingwillbeco-locatedwiththeSocietyfortheHistoryofTechnology(attheClevelandMarriottDowntownatKeyCenter)andtheSocietyforSocialStudiesofScience(attheCrownePlazaHotelClevelandCityCentre).Allthreehotelsarewithineasywalkingdistanceandshuttleswillrunonacircuitamongtheconferencesites.Registrationforoneconferencewillentitletheregistranttoattendallthreeconferences.Discussionsareunderwayastowhetherornottherewillbeadditionaladministrativefeesforanyindividualwhoappearsonmorethanoneprogram.

Pleasesubmitallproposals(sessions,contributedpapers,andposters)totheHistoryofScienceSociety’sExecutiveOffice.Posterproposalsmustdescribethevisualmaterialthatwillmakeuptheposter.TheHSSwillworkwithorganizerswhowishtopre-circulatepapers.

Submissionsonalltopicsareencouraged.AllproposalsmustbesubmittedontheHSSWebsite(http://www.hssonline.org)ortheannualmeetingproposalformsthatareavailablefromtheHSSExecutiveOffice.HSSmembersareaskedtocirculatethisannouncementtonon-HSScolleagueswhomaybeinterestedinpresentingapaperorposterattheAnnualMeeting(allparticipantsmustregisterforthemeeting).


Applicantsareencouragedtoproposesessionsthatincludediverseparticipants:amixofmenandwomen,and/orabalanceofprofessionalranks(i.e.,mixingseniorscholarswithjuniorscholarsandgraduatestudents).Strongpreferencewillbegiventopanelswhosepresentershavediverseinstitutionalaffiliations.Onlyoneproposalperpersonmaybesubmitted.AnindividualmayonlyappearonceontheHSSprogram(seetheguidelinesforexceptions).Priorparticipationatthe2009(Phoenix)or2010(Montréal)meetingswillbetakenintoconsideration.

Toencourageandaidthecreationofpanelswithstrongthematiccoherencethatdrawuponhistoriansofscienceacrossinstitutionsandranks,theconferenceorganizershavecreatedawikiathttp://hss2011.wikia.com.Applicantswithapanelorpaperideaseekinglike-mindedpresentersshouldpostandconsultthepostingstheretoroundoutaprospectivesession.Instructionsareavailableonthesite.BeforesendingaproposaltotheHSSOffice,weaskthateveryonereadtheCommitteeonMeetingsandPrograms’“GuidelinesforSelectingPapers,Posters,andSessions.”The2011programco-chairsareMichaelGordin(PrincetonUniversity)andMatthewJones(ColumbiaUniversity).

Formoreinformation,pleasevisithttp://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/index.html.

FUTURE MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, and CALLS FOR PAPERS

4-5April2011.ConferenceonGeologicalCollectorsandCollecting,tobeheldattheFlettTheatreattheNaturalHistoryMuseuminLondon,andorganizedbytheHistoryofGeologyGroup.Forinformation,[email protected].

12-16June2011.92ndAnnualMeetingoftheAAAS,PacificDivision,includingthe7thWorldCongressonMummyStudies,tobeheldattheUniversityofSanDiego.Forinformation,visithttp://pacific.aaas.org.

14-18June2011.22ndPacificScienceCongress,tobeheldattheKualaLumpurConventionCentreinKualaLumpur,Malaysia.Thethemeis“AsiaPacificScienceinthe21stCentury:MeetingtheChallengesofGlobalChange.”Formoreinformation,pleasevisitwww.22ndpsc.netorwww.pacificscience.org.

27Juneto8July2011.25thGeneralAssemblyoftheInternationalUnionofGeodesy&Geophysics,tobeheldinMelbourne.Forinformationaboutpapersand

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accommodations,pleasevisithttp://www.iugg.org/assemblies/2011melbourne/.

14-17July2011.AnnualConferenceoftheBritishSocietyoftheHistoryofScience,tobeheldonthemaincampusoftheUniversityofExeter,England.Forinformation,[email protected].

13-19September2011.17thConferenceoftheAustralianMiningHistoryAssociation,tobeheldinHahndorf,SouthAustralia.Thethemeoftheconferenceis“Australia’sEarliestMiningEra,”whichreferstothefirsteraofmetalmininginthe1840s.Detailscanbefoundathttp://www.mininghistory.asn.au/conference/.

4-8July2012.NinthInternationalCongressoftheHistoryofOceanography(IXHO-IX),tobeheldinAthens,Greece.Forinformation,pleasecontactDr.GeorgeVlahakis,thelocalorganizer.Email:[email protected].

2-10August2012.34thInternationalGeologicalCongress,tobeheldinBrisbane,Queensland,Australia.Forinformation,pleasevisithttp://www.34igc.org/.

BOOK, JOURNAL, EXHIBITION and RESEARCH NEWS

KatherineAnderson,ed.The Narrative of the Beagle Voyage, 1831-1836,4volumes,willbeavailableaspartof“ThePickeringMasters”seriesinMay2011.Thissetpresentsthefirstcriticaleditionoftheremainingtextsfrom1839,includingRobertFitzroy’saccountofthesecondvoyageandPhillipParkerKing’saccountofthevoyagein1826-1830.

TheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey’sHistoricalQuadrangleScanningProject(HQSP)iscurrentlyscanningallscalesandeditionsofnearly250,000topographicmapspublishedbytheUSGSsincethetopographicmappingprogrambeganin1884.Thisprojectwillprovideacomprehensivedigitalrepositoryofsuchmaps,availabletothepublicatnocost.Detailsoftheprojectareathttp://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011.old/3009/.

ThespecialissueEast Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine31(2010)includestheplenarylecturesfromthe12thInternationalConferenceontheHistoryofScienceinEastAsia,heldin2008.Amongthoselecturesare:PaulU.Unschuld,“WhenHealthwasFreedfromFate:SomeThoughtsontheLiberatingPotentialofEarlyChineseMedicine;”JamesR.Bartholomew,“HowtoJointheScientificMainstream:EastAsianScientistsandNobelPrizes;”EllisTinios,“Art,Anatomy


andEroticism:TheHumanBodyinJapaneseIllustratedBooksoftheEdoPeriod,1615-1868”andKimYungSik,“APhilosophyofMachinesandMechanicsinSeventeenth-CenturyChina:WangZheng’sCharacterizationandJustificationoftheStudyofMachinesandMechanicsintheQiqiTushuo.”

TheAustralianNationalMaritimeMuseumrecommendsseveralhelpfulonlineresources,including: •Museumwebsiteatwww.anmm.gov.au •TheAustralianregisterofHistoricShipsatwww.anmm.gov.au/arhv •ANMMImageLibraryatwww.anmm.gov.au/pictures/search. HesperianPresshasreleasedaneweditionofThe Land of GoldbyJamesM.Price,whojourneyedthroughWesternAustraliain1895.ThespecialartistandcorrespondentfortheIllustrated London NewswroteaboutandsketchedbushlifeandgoldminingintheEasternandMurchisonfields.ContactHesperianPress,P.O.Box317,VictoriaPark,WesternAustralia6979orEmail:[email protected].

TheCaliforniaAcademyofScienceshasjustpublishedDarwin and the Galapagos: A Symposium Held on the Occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th Anniversary of the Publication of the Origin of Species, August 14-15, 2009,editedbyMichaelT.GhiselinandAlanE.Leviton.Foradditionalinformation,contactScientificPublications,CaliforniaAcademyofSciences,55MusicConcourseDrive,SanFrancisco,CA94118,USA.

TheForumfortheHistoryofScienceinAmericarecentlyannouncedthere-launchingofitsblogathttp://americanscience.blogspot.com/.Thebloghasanewformatandawiderscopeforitscontentsandconversation.


SELECTED RECENT PACIFIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS

British Nuclear Weapons and the Test Ban, 1954-1973. Britain, The United States and Nuclear Testing: Tensions and Contradictions,byJohn R. Walker,Ashgate,2010.

The Elusive West and the Contest for Empire, 1713-1763,byPaul W. Mapp,UniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,2011.

Western Australian Exploration, 1836-1945,HesperianPressandtheHeritageCouncilofWesternAustralia,2011[Volume2intheWesternAustralianExplorer’sDiariesProject].

William Robert Broughton’s Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific, 1795-1798,editedbyAndrew David,TheHakluytSociety,ThirdSeries:22,2010,distributedbyAshgate.

ARTICLES and ESSAYS

“TheAsianMonsoonsandZhengHe’sVoyagestotheWesternOcean,”byDeng HuiandLi Xin,Journal of Navigation64:2(2011),207-218.

“CirculatingSmallpoxKnowledge:GuatemalanDoctors,MayaIndiansandDesigningSpain’sSmallpoxVaccinationExpedition,1780-1803,”byMartha Few,The British Journal for the History of Science 43 (Special Issue 04: Circulation and Locality in Early Modern Science)(2010),519-537.

“ComparativeLongevityofAustralianOrchid(Orchidaceae)SeedsUnderExperimentalandLowTemperatureStorageConditions,”byFiona R. Hay,David J. Merritt,Jessica A. SoanesandKingsley W. Dixon,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society164:1(2010),26-41.

“ContrastingMiddleJurassicandEarlyCretaceousMaficIntrusiveRocksfromWesternLiaoning,NorthChinaCraton:PetrogenesisandTectonicImpclications,”byXiaohui Zhang,Hongfu Zhang,Neng Jiang,andSimon Wilde,Geological Magazine147:6(2010),844-859.

“CuticleMorphologyofAustralasianSapindaceae,”byMike Pole,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society163:3(2010),264-292.


“DepositionalHistoryoftheChhattisgarhBasin,CentralIndia:ConstraintsfromNewSHRIMPZirconAges,”byM. E. Bickford, Abhijit Basu, Sarbani Patranabis-Deb, Pratap C. Dhang,andJuergen Schieber,The Journal of Geology119(2011),33-50.

“DiscoveryofNewSpeciesofNewCaledonianArsipodaErichson,1842(Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae)andInsightsontheirEcologyandEvolutionUsingDNAMarkers,”byJ. Gomez-Zurita, A. Cardoso, J. A. Jurado-Rivera, P. Jolivet, S. CazeresandC. Mille,Journal of Natural History44:41&42(2010),2557-2579.

“DiversityofIndo-AustralianPlakortis(Demospongiae:Plakinidae),withDescriptionofFourNewSpecies,”byGuilherme Muricy,Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom91(2011),303-319.

“EvolutionaryDiversificationandGeographicalIsolationinDubautiaLaxa(Asteraceae),aWidespreadMemberoftheHawaiianSilverswordAlliance,”byMitchell E. McGlaughlinandElizabeth A. Friar,Annals of Botany107:3(2011),357-370.

“Fission-TrackAnalysisUnravelstheDenudationHistoryoftheBonarRangeintheFootwalloftheAlpineFault,SouthIsland,NewZealand,”byUwe RingandMatthias Bernet,Geological Magazine147:6(2010),801-813.

“ForeignBodies;or,HowDidDarwinInventtheSymptom?”byMatthew Rowlinson,Victorian Studies52:4(2010),535-559.

“FourNewSpeciesofPauropodidae(Myriapoda:Pauropoda)fromZhejiangandJiangsuProvinces,eastChina,”byHua Guo, Yan Dong, Yun Jin, Xiaofeng Xu,andHongying Sun,Journal of Natural History44:43&44(2010),2637-2648.

“TheGenusElasmopus(Crustacea:Amphipoda:Maeridae)inAustralianWaters,”byL. E. HughesandJ. K. Lowry,Journal of Natural History45:9&10(2011),579-628.

“GeometricalSimilarityinSuccessivelyDevelopedFoldsandSheathFoldsintheBasementRocksoftheNorthwesternIndianShield,”byDeepak C. Srivastava,Geological Magazine148:1(2010),171-182.

“HelminthsofEmoia Caeruleocauda(Squamata:Scincidae)fromtheNorthernMarianaIslands,Micronesia,”byStephen R. Goldberg, Charles R. BurseyandFred Kraus,Journal of Natural History45:7&8(2011),497-503.

“TheLegacyofJohnWebbandtheAppliedGeochemistryResearchGroup,ImperialCollegeofScienceandTechnology,London,toGeochemicalExplorationin


Australia,”byCharles ButtandRichard Mazzucchelli,Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis10(2010),269-278,publishedbytheGeologicalSocietyofLondon.

“MetamorphicEvolutionoftheKarimnagarGranuliteTerrane,EasternDharwarCraton,SouthIndia,”byD. PrakashandI. N. Sharma,Geological Magazine148(2011),112-132.

“MorphologicalandCytotypeVariationofWildKiwifruit(Actinidia ChinensisComplex)AlonganAttitudinalandLongitudinalGradientinCentral-WestChina,”byDawei Li, Yifei Liu, Caihong ZhongandHongwen Huang,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society164:1(2010),72-83.

“MorphologyofEogystiaSibirica(Alpheraky)(Lepidoptera:Cossidae)AttackingAsparagus OfficinalisinNorthernChinawithDescriptionsofitsImmatureStages,”byJing Tian, Bao-zhen HuaandHui-jie Zhang,Journal of Natural History44:43&44(2010),2581-2595.

“ANewGenusofGigantopteridfromtheMiddlePermianoftheUnitedStatesandChinaanditsRelevancetotheGigantopteridConcept,”byWilliam A. DiMichele, Cincy V. LooyandDan S. Chaney,International Journal of Plant Sciences172:1(2011),107-119.

“ANewSpeciesofTriptolemma(Porifera:Pachastrellidae)fromthePacificOceanwithaRevisionoftheGenus,”byMarco Bertolino, D. Pica, G. Bavestrello, N. IwasakiandB. Calcinai,Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom91(2011),329-338.

“OntogenyoftheFurongian(lateCambrian)RemopleuridioidTrilobiteHaniwa QuadrataKobayashi,1933fromKorea:ImplicationsforTrilobiteTaxonomy,”byTae-Yoon ParkandDuck K. Choi,Geological Magazine148(2011),288-303.

“PacificEpimeriidae(Amphipoda:Crustacea):Epimeria,”byA. N. Lorz,Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom91(2011),471-477.

“PhylogeneticAnalysisofEasternAsianandEasternNorthAmericanDisjunctLespedeza(Fabaceae)InferredfromNuclearRibosomalITSandPlastidRegionSequences,”byJeong Eun Han, Kook-Hyun Chung, Tomoyuki NemotoandByoung-Hee Choi,BotanicalJournaloftheLinneanSociety164:3(2010),221-235.

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“Pollen-MediatedTransgeneFlowinMaizeGrownintheHuang-Huai-HaiRegioninChina,”byK. Zhang, Y. LiandL. Lian,The Journal of Agricultural Science149(2011),205-216.

“PossibleJuvenilePalaeoarchaeanTTGMagmatisminEasternIndiaanditsConstraintsfortheEvolutionoftheSinghbhumCraton,”byJennifer Tait, Udo Zimmerman, Takashi Miyazaki, Sergey Presnyakov, Qing Chang, Joydip MukhopadhyaandSergey Sergeev,Geological Magazine148(2011),340-347.

“ReproductiveIncompatibilityBetweentheBandQBiotypesoftheWhiteflyBemisia TabaciinChina:GeneticandBehaviouralEvidence,”byD. B. Sun, J. Xu, J. B. LuanandS. S. Liu,Bulletin of Entomological Research101(2011),211-220.

“RiskPosedbytheInvasiveDefoliatorUrabaLugenstoNewZealandNativeFlora,”byToni M. Withers, Karina J. B. Potter, Lisa A. Berndt, Shaun A. Forgie, Quentin E. PaynterandDarren J. Kriticos,Agricultural and Forest Entomology13:1(2011),99-110.

“SpatialandTemporalDistributionsofJuvenileHorseshoeCrabs(Arthropoda:Chelicerata)ApproachingExtirpationAlongtheNorthwesternShorelineoftheNewTerritoriesofHongKongSAR,China,”byBrian MortonandChristine N. Lee,Journal of Natural History45:3&4(2011),227-251.

“StalkedCrinoidsfromTasmanianSeamounts.Part1:Hyocrinidae,”byNadia AmezianeandMichel Roux,Journal of Natural History45:3&4(2011),137-170.

“Stegana CastaneaSpeciesGroup(Diptera,Drosophilidae)fromtheOrientalRegion,”byJian-Qin Wang, Jian-Jun GaoandHong-Wei Chen,Journal of Natural History45:9&10(2011),505-519.

“ATaxonomicRevisionofMiscanthuss.l.(Poaceae)fromChina,”byQian Sun, Qi Lin, Zi-Li Yi, Zhi-Rong YangandFa-Song Zhou,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society164:2(2010),178-220.

“TaxonomyandBiogeographyoftheSpiderGenusEriovixia(Araneae:Araneidae)fromHainanIsland,China,”byGuang Xin-Han and Ming-Sheng Zhu,Journal of Natural History44:43&44(2010),2609-2635.

“TaxonomyoftheGenusThoracostrongylusBernhauer(Coleoptera:Staphylinidae)withDescriptionsofFiveNewSpeciesfromChina,”byZhuo Yang, Hong-Zhang ZhouandHarald Schillhammer,Journal of Natural History45:7&8(2011),407-433.

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“TwoNewFree-LivingMarineNematodeSpeciesoftheGenusParamarylynnia(Chromadorida:Cyatholaimidae)fromtheYellowSea,China,”byYong HuangandJing Sun,Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom91(2011),395-401.

“TwoNewFree-LivingMarineNematodeSpeciesoftheGenusPseudosteineria(Monohysterida:Xyalidae)fromtheYellowSea,China,”byY. HuangandJ. Li,Journal of Natural History44:41&42(2010),2453-2463.

“TwoNewFree-LivingMarineNematodeSpeciesofXyalidae(Monhysterida)fromtheYellowSea,China,”byY. HuganandX. C. Wu,Journal of Natural History45:9&10(2011),567-577.

“TwoNewandTwoKnownSpeciesoftheFamilyBelondiridaeThorne,1939(Nematoda:Dorylaimida)fromSingapore,”byWasim AhmadandTabbasam Naz,Journal of Natural History44:41&42(2010),2465-2479.

“TwoNewSpeciesoftheGenusSinellaBrook,1882(Collembola:Entomobryidae)fromEastChina,”byJiqiang Qu, Feng ZhangandJian-Xiu Chen,Journal of Natural History44:41&42(2010),2535-2541.

“TwoNewSpeciesofLeicacandonaKaranovic(Ostracoda,Candoninae)fromtheGreatSandyDesert,Australia,”byIvana KaranovicandK. McKay,Journal of Natural History 44:45&46(2010),2715-2736.

“TwoNewSpeciesofPonomeutinae(Lepidoptera:Yponomeutidae)fromChinawithFaunisticSupplementsandanUpdatedListoftheChineseSpeciesoftheSubfamily,”byJae-Cheon Sohn, Chun-Sheng WuandHui-Lin Han,Journal of Natural History44:45&46(2010),2803-2816.

“Two-StageExhumationofUltrahigh-PressureMetamorphicRocksfromtheWesternDabieOrogen,CentralChina,”byYuanbau Wu, Shan Gao, Xiaochi Liu, Jing Wang, Min Peng, Hujun GongandHonglin Yuan,The Journal of Geology119(2011),15-31.

“UnderstandingtheGerminationofBulbilsfromanEcologicalPerspective:ACaseStudyonChineseYam(Dioscorea Polystachya),byJeffrey L. Walck, M. Shea CoferandSiti N. Hidayati,Annals of Botany106:6(2010),945-955.

“TheWestCoastRange,Tasmania:MountainsandGeologicalGiants,”byPeter Baillie,Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania144(2010),1-13.

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DISSERTATIONS and THESES

Listsofrecentdoctoraldissertationsinthehistoryofscienceandalliedfields,suchastechnology,publichealth,andmedicine,areprovidedbytheUniversityofPittsburghat:http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/histmed.

BOOK REVIEWS

AnthonyBrandt, The Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage,NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf,2010,Pp.xvi-441.Chronology.Maps.B&WIllustrations.US$28.95andCAN$34.00andISBN9-780307-263926. ThisyearmarksthecentennialanniversaryoftheconquestoftheSouthPole.InDecember1911,RoaldAmundsenandhisfellowNorwegiansreachedthePole,withtheBritishunderRobertScottarrivingafewweekslater.Asiswellknown,Scottandhismendiedontheirmarchnorth,ensuringthemaprominentplaceinpublicmemoryandleadingto

avastamountofliteraturededicatedtomakingsomesenseoftheirplight.Inthehistoryofexploration,theonlytragedyofcomparableimpactwasthefinalvoyageofJohnFranklin.In1845,Franklinandall129ofhismenperishedintheCanadianArcticwhilesearchingforanopenchannel–aNorthwestPassage–tothePacific.LikeScott,Franklin’sdeathmadehimamartyrtothecauseofexploration,aswellasthefocusofanextensivebodyofexplorationliterature.ThemostrecentworkisAnthonyBrandt’sThe Man Who Ate His Boots.ThetitleisareferencetoFranklin’ssobriquet,anameheacquiredfollowinganearlierexpeditionthatnearlyendedinstarvation.Yet,despitethetitleofthevolume,thebookisnotsomuchabiographyofFranklinasitisastudyofthecircumstancesleadingtoandimmediatelyfollowinghisfinalexpedition.BrandtexplainsinhisintroductionthatthetensionbetweennobilityandfollyintheexplorationoftheNorthwestPassageiswhathasledtosomuchinterestinthehistory,anditwouldseemthatitisforthisveryreasonthathehaschosentowritehisownaccount. ThevolumebeginswiththeNorthwestPassage(moreaccurately,Passages)asitliestoday,openfornavigationduringthesummermonths,withmoreicemeltingeachyear.Brandtnotesthattheeffectsofglobalwarmingontheoceanlandscape


wouldhaveamazedthedreamersandexplorersofthepastwhofailedtimeandagaintodiscoveraroutethroughthefrozenseas.Hethenjumpsbackintimeandbeginshisnarrativeoftheseearlyattempts,startingwithabriefsurveyoffifteenthandsixteenthcenturyBritishexpeditionsunderMartinFrobisher,ThomasButton,ThomasJames,andothers.TheseaccountsarefollowedbyafarmorethoroughlookatBritishactivitiesintheearlynineteenthcentury.Itiswiththeselatterexpeditions–primarilythoseledbyJohnFranklin,JohnRoss,WilliamParry,andGeorgeBack–thattheauthorspendsmostofhistime.Thestoriesarelargelyfamiliar.TheyincludeRoss’s“discovery”ofhisimaginedCrokerMountains;Parry’sdaringvoyagethattookhimthroughthismirage,stoppingjustshortoftheBeaufortSea;Franklin’sdisastrouslandjourneyalongCanada’sArcticcoastlinethatendedwithadietofleatherboots;androughlyadozenotherventuresbytheseandothermen.Thelastsectionofthebook(nearlyafourthofthevolume)focusesonFranklin’sfinaljourneyandthemanyvoyagesthat,insearchingforcluestoexplainhisdisappearance,completedthemappingoftheregion. ManyofBrandt’sthemesarewell-knowntoreadersofexplorationhistory,includingtheunacknowledgeddependenceofBritishexplorersontheInuit,aswellastensionsbetweenAdmiraltymethodsofPolartravelandthoseoftheindigenouspeople.Healsoemphasizesseveralthemesthatareperhapslessfamiliar.Thefirstisthe“willingnesstobelieve”inanopenArcticpassagedespiteevidenceandexperiencetothecontrary.Itwas,accordingtoBrandt,“religionwithoutrevelation”amongmanyofthemostwell-knownexplorersandtheirkeysupporters.Inotherwords,thePassagehadtobetherefornootherreasonthanithadtobethere.This“spiritofspeculativegeography”enabledtheBritishtosubstitute“wishfulthinking”forexperienceorscientificobservation,andasaconsequencetheylostmanylives,severalships,andagreatdealofmoneyinwhatwasultimatelyafutilequest Asecondthemeisthehungertosurvive.QuotingajournalentryfromtheexplorerGeorgeBack,Brandtwritesthat“thereislittlecompassioninthehumanframewhenitisinastateofprivation.”HereturnstothispassageinthefinalpagesofthebooktoexplaintheevidenceofcannibalismamongFranklin’smen,thelastofwhoclearlybegantofeedontheirfriends.Thoughfarlessrepugnant,itisclearthatself-preservationintermsofcareerandreputationwerealsoatplayintherepeatedattemptstodiscoveranArcticroute.Brandtcharacterizesthehuntforapassageasatragicaffairthatflounderedbetweenarroganceandfolly.Yet,unlikeseveralrecentexplorationaccounts,thetoneisrarelycritical.Rather,BrandtpresentsFranklin,Parry,Rossandtheothersasmenoftheirtime,andheplacestheirvirtuesandviceswithinthecontextoftheirsocialenvironment. Asistypicalofthegenre,Brandtfocusesontheleadersandkeysponsorsoftheexpeditions,withonlypassingmentionofexpeditionmembers,theirfamilies,andthegeneralpublic.Thenatureofavailablesourceslargelyexplainsthis

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approach,formostenlistedmenwerestillilliterateintheearlynineteenthcentury,meaningthattheirvoicescanonlybeheardthroughrecordsleftbysuperiorofficers.Unfortunately,theseofficerswereoftendismissiveoftheenlisted,andFranklininparticularrarelyevenbotheredtorecordtheirnamesinhispublishedworks.Brandtdoes,however,attempttoincludedescriptionsoftheInuitandotherindigenouspeople,creditingthemfortheirroleinBritishexploration.HisaccountoftheinteractionbetweenthenativesandtheBritisharealonewellworththeread. ForexplorationenthusiastswhoarelookingfororiginalresearchonthehistoryoftheNorthwestPassage,itwillquicklybecomeclearthatBrandtdidnotdiscovermuchinthewayofnewmaterial.Nor,admittedly,didheconsultkeymanuscriptdepositoriesinpreparinghistext.Heexplainsthisdecisionbywritingthat“toaddthatlevelofdensitytothebookwouldhavethreatenedtooverwhelmthegeneralreader,forwhomthebookwaswritten.”Asavolumeintendedforapopularaudience,Brandtsucceedsinfindinganagreeablebalancebetweenthemorerivetingaspectsofexplorationandthelargerquestionsofmotiveandmeaning.Hisabilitiesasastorytellerarealsofirst-rate.However,asapopularwork,therearefrustrations,suchastheabsenceofnotes.Mapsarealsoinadequate.Thefirstseveralchaptersincludemaps,butthesedisappearbythemiddlesectionofthebooksothatreadersareforcedtomakesenseoflaterexpeditionsbyjumpingbetweenearliermapsthatproveinadequatelylabeled.Thelackofamapindexmakesthisanevenmoreburdensomeandtime-consumingtask.Thesesmallcomplaintsaside,Brandthaswrittenathorough,well-balanced,andhighlyreadableaccount.

WilliamR.StevensonIII DoshishaUniversity


DonGarden,Droughts, Floods & Cyclones: El Niños That Shaped Our Colonial Past.Kew,Victoria:AustralianScholarlyPublishing,2009,Pp.xiv+414.Maps.B&WIllustration.Tables.Graphs.Bibliography.Index.Paper.AUS$44.00andISBN978-1-921509-38-4.

Ashere,ineasternAustralia,weexperiencemanyofthetypical

characteristicsofLaNiña,includingheavyrainfallandlargefloods,professionalandpopularinterestinElNiño-SouthernOscillation(ENSO)grows.AustralianinterestinENSOgatheredmomentuminthe1970sand1980safteraseriesofsevereweathereventsbuthasacceleratedduringthelastdecade,asmanypartsofeasternAustraliaenduredintensedroughtandElNiñowasnamedasamajorcause.WhileENSOhasbeengivengreaterattentionbecauseofrecentevents,ithasalsocausedustoreflectonthepastwithneweyes.

Inhisnewenvironmentalhistory,Droughts, Floods & Cyclones: El Niños That Shaped Our Colonial Past,DonGardenexaminesexperiencesofthreehistoricalElNiñoeventsintheeasternPacific,in1864-69,1876-78and1895-1903.GardenusedrecentinformationtoidentifytheseElNiñosbutheanalyseshowpeoplemadesenseofthechangingconditionsandsevereweathereventsatthetime.HefocusesonthreeregionsinwhichElNiñosmostlyproduceparticularconditions:easternAustralia(drought),NewZealand(droughts,floods,stormsandheavysnowfalls)andFijiandFrenchPolynesia(droughtsandcyclones).InthetwolargerregionsofAustraliaandNewZealand,Gardenfocusesoncasestudyareas,whichheselectedbecauseofthesourcestheyofferandforgeographicalspread.InAustralia,theseare:BurrainSouthAustralia,theRiverinainNewSouthWales,theMurrayValleyinVictoria,theHunterRiverincoastalNewSouthWales,andtheWideBayandHerveyBayareainQueensland.InNewZealandheselectedCanterburyandOtagointhesouthislandandHawkesBayinthenorthisland.However,hedrawsonexamplesfromaroundeasternAustraliaandNewZealandthroughoutthebook.Asthetitlesuggests,Gardenspecificallyexplorescolonists’responsestoextremeweather.

GardenhashadalongstandingresearchinterestinthePacificandpublishedamoregeneralenvironmentalhistory,Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific: An Environmental History,in2005.HewasdrawntothesubjectofENSOpartlybecauseofthelackofresearchonclimaticphenomenabyhistorians.Hisbookclearly

No.�6,April�011 1�

addressesthissignificantgap.Amajorthemeofthebookistheculturaldimensionsofconceptionsofclimate

(andsciencemoregenerally).Gardenexaminestheways,forexample,understandingsofdroughtsandfloodshavegatheredlocalmeaningsfromparticularenvironmentalcontextsaswellastheirsocialandeconomicramifications.HefocuseshisdiscussiononfourpatternsincolonialexperiencesofElNiñointheselectedregions.ThefirstisthatENSOeventstendtocorrelatewithextremeweatherevents.AlthoughextremeweathereventscanoccuroutsideofElNiñosandLaNiñastheyaremuchmorelikelyduringthem.Second,theextremeweathercausedbyElNiñosshapedhumansocieties,sometimesstallingorstoppingcolonialprojectsparticularlyinagriculture.Third,althoughtheaffectsofElNiñoshavegeneralcharacteristics,suchascyclonesanddroughtsinthemidlatitudePacific,eacheventunfoldsdifferentlyandcanvarygreatlyfromeventtoeventandevenacrossalocalareaduringasingleevent.Last,theeffectsofENSOhavebeenexacerbatedbyEuropeancolonisation.Changestoecologiesfromcoloniallandusepracticeshavelessenedtheircapacityto‘springback’followingsevereevents(pp.22-23).Gardensuccessfullydemonstratesthesefourpointsineachchapter.

GardenprovidesanexcellentsummaryofENSO,itsaffectsanditsdevelopmentasaconceptinthefirstchapterofthebook,whichfollowsabriefintroduction.ThischapterissuccinctbutaccountsforthecomplexityofENSOandalsodiscussesotherareasofclimateresearch,suchastheIndianOceanDipole.Broadly,ENSOischaracterizedbyaninter-annualchange,whichiscausedbyinteractionsbetweenchangingoceantemperaturesandsurfacepressuresacrossthePacificOcean,roughlybetweentheeasternPacificOceanoffthecoastofSouthAmericaand,asacounterpoint,thewesternPacificintheregionaroundIndonesia.ENSOgenerallycausesdryconditionsinoneoftheseareasandwetintheother,buttheaffectsofENSOvarythroughoutthePacific(pp.1-8).Thefirstchapteralsosetsoutthemajorconceptsthathaveinformedtheempiricalresearch.

TheeightremainingchaptersaddressthethreeElNiñoperiods.Threechaptersfocusonthe1864-69event,inturnconcentratingonAustralia,NewZealandandthetropicalPacific.ThisperiodactuallyencompassestwoElNiños,separatedbyashortLaNiña.ThefirstchapterexamineseasternAustralia,wheredrought,thenfloodsin1867,thenanotherdroughtcausedmajorsetbackstocolonists,particularlyinagriculturalregions,liketheHunterandMurrumbidgeeriverregions.Throughtheseevents,thischaptertakesupwiderissuesandcontextsincluding,overstocking,thedevelopmentofcoastalandinlandrivernavigation,droughtandfloodmitigation,andthewestwardexpansionofpastoralism.

Atthebeginningofthefollowingchapter,whichexploresexperiencesinNewZealand,GardenexplainsthatElNiñosherecanbequitecomplexandhavehighlylocalisedeffects.Hisresearchconfirmsthefindingsofasmallnumber


ofotherstudieswhichassertthatalthough,asiscommonlybelieved,ElNiñosgenerallycausedryperiodsalongtheeastcoastofthenorthandsouthislands,thesearefairlyshort(lastingmonthsnotyears)andareofteninterspersedwithfloodingrainsandheavysnowfalls.Onthewestcoastofthesouthislandthechanceofaboveaveragerainfallalsoincreases.ThesetwoElNiñosillustrateGarden’spointwell,astheysawoscillationsbetweenperiodsoflittleornorainfall,floodingrainsandheavysnowfalls,whichvariedacrosstheislands.Gardenfurtherarguesthat‘adisproportionatenumberofNewZealand’smostextremeweatherevents(storms,snowandrainfall)haveoccurredduringElNiños’(p.85).Indeed,oneofNewZealand’srecordsnowfallsoccurredin1867whileElNiñowasactive.

InFijiandFrenchPolynesia,severecyclonesandstormsaswellasdroughtsdominatedthetwoElNiñoevents.Gardenexaminesthedamagingeffectsoftheseeventswithinthecontextofthecolonialhistoriesoftheareas.Inadditionhedrawsattentiontothevulnerabilitiesofplantationmonoculturestotheseevents.

Twochaptersarededicatedtothe1876–78ElNiño,onefocusesonAustraliaandtheotheronNewZealand,FijiandFrenchPolynesia.IneasternAustralianthisElNiñowasnotgenerallysevere,althoughitseffectsvaried.ThisisincontrasttothemillionsofdeathscausedbydroughtsandsubsequentcropfailuresinIndiaandChinaintheseyears.InAustralia,theeffectsoftheElNiñoseemtohavebeenmoreintenseinplaceswheretherehadbeenextensiveenvironmentaldestruction,includingfromoverstockingandrabbits.Gardenarguesthatthesefactorsweakenedtheresillienceofthelandtocopewithreducedrainfall.

InNewZealand,theeffectsofthisElNiñoweremoresevere,causingsomeofthelargestandmostdestructivefloodsandmostintensedroughtsonrecord,aswellasheavysnowfalls.DuringthisperiodinFiji,therewasonlyonetopicalstormandthenerraticoscillationsbetweendryandwetweather,whileinFrenchPolynesia,acombinationofseverestormsandintenselydryperiodscausedonlyashort-termdisruptiontoPolynesianeconomiesaswellastothoseofthecolonialcoconutandcottonplanters.

ThefinalElNiñoperiod,1895-1903,issimilarlydividedintotwochapters,oneconcentratingonAustraliaandtheotheronNewZealand,FijiandFrenchPolynesia.InAustralia,thethreeElNiñosthatoccurredinthisperiodcausedadroughtthatwasunparalleledincolonialhistoryuntilrecently.Gardenarguesthatasinthe1876-78ElNiño,theeffectsofyearsoflittleornorainfallinmanyareaswascompoundedbyhumanchangestotheenvironment;althoughmoreso,asmorelandhadbeencleared,overstockinghadcontinued,andrabbitshadmultipliedandspread.Gardenalsoexamineshowdebatesoverwaystomitigatedroughts,predominatelythroughwaterstoragesandirrigation,shapedthisperiodandhelpedtocementpoliticalsupportforthesekindofworksinthefuture.

InNewZealand,theweatherthataccompaniedtheseElNiñoswasevenmorecomplexthantheprevioustwoElNiñoperiods.Theislandsexperiencedfloods,

No.�6,April�011 1�

heavysnowfalls,stormsanddrought,butalsoheatwavesandbushfires.Again,environmentaldestructionfromcoloniallanduseincreasedtheeffectsoftheseElNiños.Gardenarguesthatthespreadoffarms,particularlythosethatgrazedsheep,furtherheightenedcolonists’vulnerability.Fijiexperienceda‘typical’setofElNiños,ofdryperiodsinterspersedwithcyclonesandseverestorms.ThenumberofEuropeancolonistsinFijihadrisenandsugarplantationshadalsoincreased,aidedbyimportedIndianlabor.Thesugarindustryalongwithotherexportindustriessuchascopraandgreenfruit,weresetbackbytheseevents,butappeartohaverecoveredquickly.SomepartsoftheFijianislandswerebadlyaffectedbythedryperiodsaswellasseveralstorms,andGardendiscussestheFijians’reliefnetworksthatoperatedbetweenislandsandareas,wherethosewhowerelessaffectedsentfoodandwatertothosewhosesupplieswerescarce.InFrenchPolynesia,aseverecyclonein1903andpossiblyalongdroughtin1899-1900appeartobethemajoreventstohaveoccurredduringtheseElNiños.However,asGardennotes,therearefewsourcesavailableforexaminingweatherinFrenchPolynesiainthisperiod.

Eachofthechaptersissupportedbyextensiveresearch,undertakenbyGardenandateamofresearchassistants.Insomecases,weatherdatawasunavailableforparticularregionsortimeperiodsandGardenhasusednewspaperandqualitativesources,suchasdiariesandotherhistoricalaccounts,toformanoverviewofeventswhereavailable.Gardenfrequentlyacknowledgesthelimitationsofthesesourcestosubstituteharddata,particularlytheirvulnerabilitytohumanfoiblessuchaslapsesinmemoryandclimateboosterism.Herightlyusesthemwithcaution.However,IthinkGardenalsodemonstratesthesignificantpotentialof‘unscientific’sourcestobeusedtoexamineculturaldimensionsofclimateandweatheraswellastosupplementscientificrecords(whenusedcritically),manyofwhichhavegapsinthisperiodinmanysettler-colonialsocieties.OneofthesignificantcontributionsofthisbookisthehistoricaldocumentationitaddstoclimateresearchandGardenincludesanumberofusefultablesandgraphsasappendices,whichcompareyearlyrainfallsandagriculturalexportsofsometheregions.Inaddition,thesekindsofsourcescanbeusedtogivealternativeaccountsofenvironmentalchange.

Clearlymanychapters,suchasthatcontainingasummaryofENSOandsomeofthemainconceptsinclimatehistory,willbesuitableforundergraduatecoursereadings.ThisbookisaseriouspieceofscholarshipandacademicsworkingonhistoriesofparticularareasorenvironmentaleventswillnodoubtvalueGarden’scarefulresearchandanalysis.Overall,Droughts, Floods & CyclonesisasignificantcontributiontoclimateandenvironmentalhistoryandIsuspectitwillalsobewelcomedbyotherfieldsanddisciplines.

EmilyO’Gorman UniversityofWollongong

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Carey,Mark,In the Shadow of Melting Glaciers: Climate Change and Andean Society,NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2010,PP.vii+273.US$24.95andISBN978-0-19-539607-2.

MarkCareybeginsIn the Shadow of Melting Glaciers: Climate Change and Andean Societybylistingthe“catastrophicconsequences”ofmeltingicetheworldover.Themostworrisomeitemonalistteemingwithcalamitouseventsis,ofcourse,thediminishingamountofdrinkingwateravailableonearth.Despitethefactthatwearealldirectlyaffectedbyglacierretreat,Careyarguesthatfewstudiesfocusontherelationshipbetweenglaciersandpeople.Butfurthermorefewstudiesquestion

howpeoplerespondtothedisappearanceof“their”glaciers.InacompellingandengrossingbookCareyexplorestheimpactthatachanginglandscapehasonurban-ruraldivides,nationaldevelopmentplans,domesticresearchprioritiesand,indeed,eventhecreationofcitizen-scientists.

Carey’sstudyfocusesonnorth-centralPeru’sCordilleraBlancawheremorethan600glaciersarelocatedandanincreasingnumberoflakesaremakingtheirappearance–nearlytwohundrednewlakesinthelastsixtyyears.Inasmanyyears,morethan25,000Peruvianshavebeenkilledinglacierdisasters.Inotherwords,“inacountryriddledbyearthquakes,volcanoes,ElNiñoevents,andlandslides,”glaciercatastrophesareamongthedeadliest.Thebookbeginswithoneofthemostdisastrous.

OnDecember13,1941massive,meltingiceplungedintoLakePalcacohaandcreatedlarge,powerfulwavesthateasilyovercamethemorainedams.Withinminutesmostofthelakehad“pouredout”andmadeitsslowbutthunderouswaydownthemountaintowardtheoblivioustownofHuaraz.Asthemassofrocks,dirt,andtreesencounteredasecondlake,Jircacocha,italsospilledoutandveereddirectlytowardHuaraz.Withinminutesathirdofthetownwasgoneandthousandsweredead.

Afterthisinitialdisaster,scientists,bothdomesticandforeign,arrivedtotrytopiecetogetherwhathadhappenedand,moreimportant,howitcouldbepreventedinthefuture.Intheimmediateaftermath,glacierscienceandglacierlakeengineeringbenefitedfromexperts,governmentofficials,andtheknowledgeoflocals.Buttheactionstakenafterthiswereoftenmorepoliticallystrategicthanscientific.In

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fact,whathappensaftertheenormityoftheHuarazdeathtollformsthebulwarkofCarey’sbook.

Careytracesscientists’initialrelianceonlocalstoeducatethemabouttheunknownterrainoftheCordilleraandthelocationofnewlyemergedlakes.Thisdependence,however,decreasedovertimeasmoreengineersweresenttotheareaandaerialphotosbecameausefulresearchtool.Contactwithlocalsinfluencedtheperceptionoftheneediestareasandalsoalteredhowfundsweredistributedsincethemosteducatedandarticulateresidents,thosewhocouldrelatetotheengineers,secureddisasterpreventionfundsfortheirowntowns.Theauthormakesapointofstatingthatlocalswerenotpassiverecipientsofgovernmentaidbutratherthattheyargued,forexample,tobeallowedtorebuildinthesamefloodplainsforavarietyofeconomic,cultural,andsocialreasons.Butscientistsandpoliticians,inturn,alsoselectedspacesanddefinedwhattypeofresearchwouldbeconducted(andwhere),whentheyassessedtheeconomicpotentialofharnessingthepowerofretreatingglaciersfor,say,irrigationandhydroelectricprojects.

InanotherchapterCareyexploresthemanylegends,myths,andsuperstitiousbeliefslinkedtotheCordilleralakes.Withonetaleinparticularhedrawsparallelsbetweenpeoples’anxietiesthattheurban-ruraldivide,partofarigid,localracialandspatialhierarchy,wasrupturedwhennatureoverpoweredHuaraz.Inotherwords,theflood,originatingintheruralhighlandsandthusconsideredof“Indian”origin,invadedanddestroyedthemoderncity.Urbanitesbelievedthatwithabrokenboundarytheindigenouslocalscouldpotentiallysackanddestroytheremainingcityinasimilarfashion.Itisherewhereracistbeliefsaboutthe“poorandbackward”indigenousofthehighlandstrumpedscientificevidenceandbecameentangledinitsfindings.Insum,theurbaninhabitantsofHuarazsoughtsolaceinscienceanditsexpertsaswellasthegovernmenttokeepnatureand,especially,socialbordersintact.

Butafewyearslater,in1945,thetownofChavínsufferedthesamefateasHuarazandforthenextfewdecadesdozensofsmalltownswouldalsoencounterthesameferocityofglacialice.ThistimelocalsmobilizedtodemandreliefandprotectionforthethousandslivingbelowthemeltingCordilleraBlancaglaciers.Despitetheirvocaldemands,therewaslittlecontinuedgovernmentsupportuntil1950whenanotherglacierflooddestroyedahydroelectricfacilityand,forthesecondtime,akeyrailroadline.FromthispointforthanewlycreatedLakesCommissionwouldfocus(until1971)ondestructionpreventionandinsurveyingtheregionasafocalpointfornationaldevelopment.OvertheyearstheLakesCommissionwouldbalancethestudyofhazardswithroadbuilding,irrigation,jobcreation,andtourism.ThiscombinationofcatastrophepreventionandeconomicdevelopmentwouldbecomeentrenchedandexpectedintheCordillera.

Thegovernment’sblindagendatoeconomicallydeveloptheregionredefined

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glaciersandlakesassurmountableroadblockstoPeru’smodernization.Asimpedimentstodevelopment,glacierscould,however,betamed.Toachievethis,Peruvianswouldmastergeology,glaciology,andhydrology.Bythetimeofthe1970avalanchethatkilled15,000Peruviansscientificknowledgewasusedprimarilyforhazardzoningbutlocalsbegantocontestthepowerofengineersandscientistswhocouldneithercontroltheglaciersnoravoidtheincreasingdeathtoll.Locals,infact,occasionallyhiredtheirownscientiststocontestfindingsandensurethattechniciansfromLimawereindeedbeingfairintheirassessments.Inotherwords,localsbegantocontestthegovernment’sownershipofscientificclaims.

CareyhaswrittenanimportantbookthatusesthecaseofAndeanglacierretreattoillustrateshownature,despiteanarmyofscientificstudiesandtechnologicaladvances,cannotalwaysbetamed.DespitethisfactandinpursuitofeconomicprosperitythePeruviangovernmentcontinuedtodevelophydroelectricdamsandirrigationprojectsinoneofthecountry’smostdangerousareas.But,asCareyillustrates,intheenditwasglobaleconomicsthattodaymaketheregionmoreunstable.Thebookendswithaquickexplanationofhowthe1990sneo-liberalreformsthatsweptoverLatinAmericaalsoengulfedtheCordilleraBlanca.InPeruthe“neoliberalizationofnature”meantthatgovernmentindustrieslinkedtotheglacierswereprivatizedandsold,inthiscase,toU.S.-basedDukeEnergy.OneofDukeEnergy’sfirstactionswastoendanystudiesthatdealtwithhazardpreventionandfocussolelyontheprofitablyofretreatingice.

GabrielaSotoLaveaga UniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara

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