The little-known tree that revolutionised global communication
July 27, 2022 | BBC Reel
Posted on 08/03/2022 6:26:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The little-known tree that revolutionised global communication
July 27, 2022 | BBC Reel
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
In Singapore, 1842, Dr William Montgomerie was shown a strange latex by his gardener.
This material, when placed in hot water, could be moulded to any shape you wanted, and, on cooling, would set solid. You could do this again, and again and it would happily mould to any shape desired. Unlike rubber, it didn’t crumble in salt water and stayed firm on setting.
This new wonder material was called Gutta Percha, after the tree that it came from, and it would blow Victorian minds.
Pre-ping bump. I’d never heard of this before.
19th century golf balls had gutta percha covers.
If ya gonna play golf, ya gotta perchase some.
https://algarvegolf.holiday/blog/history-of-golf-balls/
BTW, this was hilariously dumb — 19th c golf balls, mostly unused, for sale, made about 1930. [sic]
I thought it would be the phone tree, where you need to press 1 for English and it keep you on hold with crappy music... 🤓
A materials revolution that, 180 years later, would provide plastic eating aquatic bacteria with the grandest feasts of their species. Ain’t nature wonderful, Moe?
Fascinating! Thanks for posting this!
Great video. Thanks for posting it. At the end, the narrator says that the current use for Gutta Percha is in root canals! It is used to pack the cavity after the pulp is extracted from the tooth. I’ve got several in my mouth.
The environmental disregard for the tree in the late 1800s was astonishing and sad. A TEN TON tree was cut down for 300 grams (11 ounces) of Gutta Percha. The narrator says it was like demolishing an entire house to get one brick. It take 30 years to mature and has come back a somewhat, but is threatened by deforestation. As much as I hate the word “sustainable,” this is a case where practices certainly were not sustainable. Synthetic polymers that were invented in the 30s saved the tree.
The American Minute: Democrat Rep. Brooks beat anti-slavery Republican Senator with his gutta-percha cane till it broke…
As soon as I heard it was gutta percha this came to mind. Basically an isomer of chicle or rubber. Chemistry nerd stuff....
I wish I could post a picture.
I would have posted a picture of one of those Palm tree “disguised” cell towers.
They called the gutta-percha golf balls “gutties”.
It is the most common filling material in root canals.
Great, thanks for reminding me I have to get a root canal.
Was the gardener named Chauncey Gardener, by any chance? I think I was, as a former being, there. 🙂
It's just like the Good Book says, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.
(In your patience possess ye your souls.)
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