Dr. Ogle is examining the history of a ubiquitous household technology, plumbing, as a way to document the larger relationship between social and cultural values and the process of technological change. Americans use more plumbing and use it more often than virtually any other people in the world. Clearly, the history of plumbing deserves study because of the role it plays in our lives and what it illustrates about American culture. Further, the history of this ubiquitous technology has never before been extensively studied. Dr. Ogle has found that what was originally seen as a mere convenience became, through the work of "sanitarians," a necessity. Originally plumbing was not sold as a technology for hygiene and sanitation but as a "labor saving device." Because it was a convenience, there was no legal or social pressure to place running water and water fixtures in every home. Only when Americans began to fear germs did they treat plumbing as an essential part of household hygiene. This reaction led first to a rejection of the old plumbing technology which, sanitarians argued, carried germs through the household because the water was unsafe and because gases from the household sewer systems were likely to back up into the house (or explode|). The old technology was replaced by new plumbing technologies; new health regulations were established to insure the safety of the systems; and "safe" new municipal water and sewer systems were constructed to provide a new level of hygiene in the household. Dr. Ogle is examining books and magazines, patents and newspapers in order to elaborate how changing cultural values affect technology. She is also examining diaries and household account books, architectural drawings and municipal documents such as water and health department reports, sewer permits, and plumbing inspection reports to provide further documentation of these changes. With all these sources in hand, she will be able to provide a clear explanation of how and why plumbing technology was shaped in the United States to take the form it has assumed today.
