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Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology

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We live with technology all around us, and we ignore it most of the time, unless it goes wrong. Most of the time, our gadgets go fairly close to right, and we don't have to think much about tending them, and we almost never think about how they are tending, and changing, us. Technologies created by people create different sorts of people. In _Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology_ (Knopf), Edward Tenner has considered simple technologies, some so simple and ungadgety that we might not even think of them as technologies: bottle feeding of infants, footwear, chairs, keyboards, eyeglasses and helmets. His book is full of fun; Tenner has a host of obscure yet relevant facts that he has obvious pleasure in presenting. He writes, "This book is about the changes we have made in ourselves: how everyday things affect how we use our bodies." He has examples drawn from many disciplines in addition to the main ones, like the importance of styles of lacing of shoes or the effect of Taiwanese bowlers taking advantage of light bowling balls with lots of spin on them. There is a huge range of information within these pages.

One of the themes of the book is that the technique of use is an essential complement to the technology involved. Baby bottles, for instance, involve a technique that must be successfully learned by mother and infant. They also allow fathers a nurturing role denied by nature. Tenner does not get into polemics about the bottle versus nursing controversy (nor does he do so for any of the controversial technologies he explores). We are physically affected by our technologies. There are millions of people who live literally on the Earth, doing without shoes; of course we evolved to get around without shoes originally. There is a movement to promote barefoot hiking, but there is always a self-fulfilling problem to overcome: shoes cause our feet to be so sensitive and vulnerable that we need shoes to protect them. In Japan, many grow up wearing _geta_ (two-piece clogs), which means that their gaits are measurably different from those who wear, say, ordinary sandals, and may be the reason Japan has very few world-class runners. It was in 1853 that an inventor set up a chair with movable parts and a system of springs that would allow rocking, although the chair rested on a pedestal supported by casters. The chair was no longer static; "This was the beginning of a new technique of sitting." Extensive studies have been done in the water to show exactly what position a body in complete rest takes (although previous evaluation of sleeping positions gave the same information), with chairs engineered to ensure that position. Piano innards have changed because of insistence of composers, especially Beethoven, on more complicated and louder performances, but although there have been improvements in the keyboard itself, no superstar has promoted them and none caught on.

The examples come thick and fast throughout the book's chapters. The technologies of writing and printing and the technique of reading have actually increased myopia in literate societies, though the explanations of the physiology behind the change are not yet satisfactory. Eyeglasses that correct the myopia may cause children's eyes to grow differently, increasing the myopia. The hard helmet of football changed the way the game is played; coaches used to instruct players to wrap their arms around the ball carrier to bring him down, but the helmet made them into human battering rams. The fans' appetite for aggressive and violent plays increased. People who sit in chairs that have a backrest suffer from weakening of the back muscles so that they more acutely need a backrest: "The chair is a machine for producing dependency on itself." Again and again, Tenner's surprising examples show that technology is often quite wonderful, and of course indispensable, but we only understand what it does to us after close examination of its effects, and the effects themselves often could never have been anticipated.

The Blackout of 2003 has already left us awash in observations of our dependence on technology. Some 50 million people (including this writer) found themselves suddenly forced to adjust, however temporary, to life without the conveniences provided by electricity. There is no question that, had the outage lasted longer than a few hours, as was the case in most areas, the effects would have been even more profound, if not catastrophic. But electronic technology is the new kid in town, a relatively recent arrival on the human scene, and as such gets far more attention than the more mundane technologies that have become so integrated into the human condition as to be nearly invisible. These "everyday" technologies are the subject of Edward Tenner's fascinating new book, OUR OWN DEVICES.

Tenner's exhaustively researched histories of the evolution of the baby bottle and baby formulas, eyeglasses, footwear, chairs, helmets and keyboards (of the musical and typewriter varieties) describe technologies that have affected the human body as much as, if not more than, they affected civilization. Tenner's focus on these body technologies is a welcome and appealing shift from the persistent focus on today's cutting-edge electronic technology.

There is no question that advances in computer technology over the last dozen years in particular have had a profound effect on society, culture, and business. But with the notable exception of certain medical advances, technology at that level is only just beginning to affect the human body at the same level as the devices Tenner describes. Within the context of human evolution, the technologies illustrated in OUR OWN DEVICES, though taken for granted for decades (or longer), are no less revolutionary than the body enhancements described in William Gibson's NEUROMANCER and other cyberpunk novels.

While eyeglasses may not seem as sexy or as exciting as the implants and body enhancements one finds in cyberpunk, they make it possible for me, a profoundly nearsighted, trifocal-wearing reader, to function in the world, let alone read anything I want, whether it's cyberpunk speculation of the future or a detailed history of the eyeglasses that today similarly empower millions. As a card-carrying techno-geek, I love new gadgets, but as body enhancements go, I can't think of anything more necessary and therefore more interesting than my glasses. Edward Tenner's highly informative book is important because he puts that issue into very sharp focus.

While life without electricity is as attractive a proposition as a do-it-yourself root canal, life without the familiar technologies described in OUR OWN DEVICES would truly reduce mankind to a state uncomfortably close to that of our knuckle-dragging ancestors. Chance --- and the apparent inadequacies of our electrical infrastructure --- has made Tenner's book a timely and significant one. Read it now, while the lights are still on.

--- Reviewed by Bob Rhubart

My passion for the past thirty years has been the development and introduction of innovative medical technologies that improve the quality of life and/or save lives. I have been involved with innovations in cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, gastrointestinal surgery, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, Ob/Gyn, urology, and hearing. Edward Tanner in "Our Own Devices" articulates and provides structure for what I have observed with new medical technologies, their adoption, and evolution. This book will be of interest and important to those who are participants in and/or students of technological innovation.

Oftentimes, those involved in the development of technology work in a vacuum without consideration of the user, trends, cultural barriers, and trade-offs - between performance, symbolism, and behavior changes. Tanner goes into great detail with examples showing the development and evolution of everyday items like shoes, sofas, and eyeglasses to highlight how things really went with these "machines," as they were put to use.

"Our Own Devices" is an exploration not only of inventive genius but also of user ingenuity. New devices are intended to change behavior, but not always as we imagined. And changes in behavior inspire new improvements and/or new devices, which in turn leads to more innovations. A good example of this in medical technology is the Swan-Ganz catheter. It was introduced in the late 1960s for use as a diagnostic tool for cardiologists. It had limited success until the mid-1970s when anesthesiologists adopted it for use to manage critical care patients in surgery. Until its use, many critical care patients were too high risk for surgery. About the same time, other innovators adopted some of its features to create the angioplasty catheter to treat vascular occlusions. This catheter has now become the primary tool in treating clogged arteries, and has further evolved to deliver a stent, and, more recently, a drug coated stent. This product category due to its safety and efficacy has become one of the most important therapies in history, and the profits of companies like Boston Scientific, Guidant, Medtronic, and J&J ride on its continued evolution. The interaction of inventors with participants allowed the technology and their technique to produce striking results envisioned by neither inventors nor users.

This book explores why we experience so many positive as well as negative unintended consequences; why technology,often considered the prime mover of change, is also a response to long-standing trends; and why, when we are constantly reminded of how everything has become much easier to use, how life has grown more complex and requires more education.

This is not a book for everyone, but is a "must" for those who are actively involved in or are students of innovation.

Tenner wrote one of my favorite books, Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. Tenner's books remind me of Henry Petroski's books in a way -- engaging nonfiction. The most fascinating thing about Tenner's book is his description of the interplay between technology and technique: how humans evolve along with our technology to get maximum utility out of our inventions. There are numerous stories about how an advancement in technology wasn't used to its potential (or was even able to match the performance of the old technology) until humans' techniques changed as well. There are also some interesting sections about how/why "improvements" never took root (piano keyboards and typewriter keyboards, notably). Fantastic stuff about what would seem like mundane topics (shoes, chairs, bottle-feeding, keyboards, helmets, ...)

One of man's unique traits is our ability to modify the world around us to suit our needs. One oft-ignored consequence of this ability is how these modifications in turn affect man. This book deals with the latter, and examines the whole gamut of devices, furniture, apparel, and other man-made products to see how they were created, how they evolved, and in turn how they affect man.

The examples covered in this book include shoes, chairs, keyboards, and tables. The author compares and contrasts the presence/absence and history of these inventions across multiple societies of multiple eras to illustrate how they affect people. For example, up to the early 1900s, chairs were rarely used in most countries of this world. As a consequence, everyone sat on the ground or on their hams. Then chairs came around one country at a time and relieved everyone of these daily minor inconveniences. In return, we got chronic back and posture problems, never mind the use of resources (wood, nails, labor) to make the chairs in the first place. A device made to ease daily life has come full circle to affect our health and that of the planet!

These and other examples make this book quite insightful and interesting. It should be required reading for any architect, social scientist, or engineer.

Edward Tenne's Our Own Devicesr is superbly presented survey which is hard to easily categorize but nonetheless very highly recommended reading. Our Own Devices informatively covers inventions of everyday things that protect us, enhance performance, and help position us. From ergomatic chairs and recliners which moved from health resources to symbols of obesity to a keyboard which failed because professional pianists believed difficult passages needed to stay challenging, Our Own Devices draws some interesting parallels between advancements, achievement, and self-preservation.

Why Things Bite Back ranks near the top of my list of favorite nonfiction reads of the last decade, so I was thrilled when Our Own Devices came out. Edward Tenner did not disappoint! Our Own Devices concerns how the human body and technology have coevolved. There is a strong emphasis on how technique has changed [walking, writing, etc.] over time as the technology has changed. Some of his examples are what you'd expect from a book like this [e.g. the typewriter/computer keyboard], but others are a surprise [e.g. the zori, bottle-feeding]. Of course, I most closely related to the chapter on eyeglasses because I'm extremely myopic AND I read a lot. As with Why Things Bite back, Our Own Devices will make you think about our very complex relationship with technology. The book should interest folks who like to read about technology, history, and physiology. I highly recommend Our Own Devices.

"Why Things Bite Back" stands as one of my favorite books, and is definitely the best single volume available on the unintended consequences of technology. I was, of course, eager to read Edward Tenner's "Our Own Devices," a volume more focused on the historical adaptations of a select few technologies and man's co-evolution with them.

Tenner intentionally selected mundane technologies that get no more than a passing thought on a daily basis, and in several cases not only tracks historical adaptations of specific inventions and technologies (the history of the baby bottle, or eyeglasses, for instance), but also contrasts the diametrically opposed ends of the technological spectrum as it applies to what are similar design constructs (for instance posture chairs versus reclining chairs, and musical keyboards versus text keyboards.)

The scope of Tenner's research is astounding, and makes seemingly mundane items interesting. Particularly strong are the chapters on the zori (a sandal), and eyeglasses. In the chapter on zoris, for example, Tenner documents the work of a Liberian craftsman, Saarenald T. S. Yaawaisan, who recycled old sandals into toy helicopters until he had acquired all the used sandals in Monrovia, at which point he began purchasing new sandals to make into toys. The story goes on to explain the subsequent problems with Monrovian sandal recycling vis-a-vis the release of dioxin into the environment. This illustrates the fanciful research Tenner put in to make this an eminently readable book.

My favorite chapter, and one that will strike a chord with many readers is on the history of eyeglasses. Eyeglasses have a much longer and complex history than I had expected, and I found his insights correlating the rise of literacy with the rise in myopia interesting. Particularly interesting in the chapter are references to the visual range requirements needed for more primitive hunter-gatherers versus modern civilized man. Tenner correctly credits the work of behavioral biologist Jakob von Uexkull, and discusses his concepts of visual perception ("merkwelt") and related theories with great aplomb. Also discussed in this chapter is the role the Catholic church had in promoting the perception of eyeglasses (even during the Inquisition), and the role of aristocratic Europe in shaping public perception of correctable lenses. Specific technologies and manufacturing techniques (mainly European) are discussed, including those of famed presbyope (and cryptologist) Duke August the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, who promoted fine craftsmanship of lenses over cheaply made products from Florence.

This book is extremely well researched, and is generally very absorbing for those interested in the history and implications of technology. Even though it is a bit longwinded at times, I give it five stars for eloquently describing the co-evolution of man and machine.