Gutta Percha
Date: 2023-03-06
"The discovery of gutta percha, the latex of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia and forms a polymer of isoprene, a thermoplastic substance that can be molded when warm, led inventors to insulate copper cables with the new material." (Headrick and Griset 546)
We discussed the harvesting of Gutta Percha for the use of telecommunication cables earlier in the term (see below the link to my lecture notes). When discussing this topic, Dr. Graham emphasized the importance of the tree, and that was reiterated in this chapter by Headrick and Griset.
Dr. Graham told us that by the early 20th century, 88 million Gutta Percha trees were destroyed for the telecommunication industry. Not only is this number heartbreaking for the planet and its natural flora, but I wonder about the workers who were set to harvesting it. I wonder what they were paid in comparison to the thousands of dollars (in today's economy that translates to millions of dollars) being sent around the western world and to the companies in charge. As Gutta Percha was found in Southeast Asia, I can't imagine the locals were paid fairly or treated well for their work, despite them being the sole reason transatlantic telecommunication could exist and propser.
Citational Information¶
Headrick, Daniel R., and Pascal Griset. “Submarine Telegraph Cables: Business and Politics, 1838-1939.” The Business History Review, vol. 75, no. 3, 2001, pp. 543–78. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3116386. Accessed 10 Mar. 2023.