Purpose
There were many changes to the uses of kettles throughout history. Some of the reasons for these changes were due to technological advancement or the acquisition of knowledge.
Kettles were often used for mostly cooking the past which is very different to what we know of its purpose today.
It is believed that the first existence of kettles dates back to between 3500 and 2000 B.C.E and was a bronze, Mesopotamian vessel shaped like a kettle. Kettles during this period of time were mainly used to improve the taste of water through heating, even though they did not understand how it occurs. There were early documentations in Sanskrit writings and inscriptions in Egyptian that detailed these water treatment methods, such as boiling water over water and dipping of heated iron into the water.
In the 19th century, the Germ Theory of Diseases proposed that micro-organisms cause many infectious diseases. Though this theory wasn’t fully developed then, its use is evident in the cholera outbreak that occurred in 1854 in Broad Street. John Snow, an English physician, through his investigations, identified that the source of cholera originated from the public water pump. As seen in this example, water is the medium in which this bacterium was spread. This theory was later further developed and proven with many experiments done by several individuals.
With the acquisition of this knowledge of bacterial causing diseases being known to people, they were eager to prevent themselves from getting the disease and were finding ways to kill these bacterial. Through boiling of water in kettles, many bacteria can be eliminated and as such, this helps in preventing the spread of diseases. As seen here, the obtaining of knowledge helped to encourage the usage of kettles as a tool for killing bacteria.
With the advancement of technology, which helps to facilitate sterilization and the increased availability of clean water from taps, there wasn't a real need for kettles any-more as a tool for purification of water.
In today’s modern society where we are able to have quick access to clean water, kettles are now often commonly being used as tools for obtaining hot water for making beverages.
In retrospect, we can see that the purpose of using a kettle first started with the idea of simply cooking and followed by the drive to improve the taste of water. With the acquirement of knowledge about microbes and the development of the germ theory of disease, we are able to see that kettles are used not only to improve the taste but also as a means of killing micro-organisms. As we advance with technology and obtain improved knowledge, we “abandon” the use of kettle to purify water. Its primary use now is being a tool of getting hot water.
Kettles were often used for mostly cooking the past which is very different to what we know of its purpose today.
It is believed that the first existence of kettles dates back to between 3500 and 2000 B.C.E and was a bronze, Mesopotamian vessel shaped like a kettle. Kettles during this period of time were mainly used to improve the taste of water through heating, even though they did not understand how it occurs. There were early documentations in Sanskrit writings and inscriptions in Egyptian that detailed these water treatment methods, such as boiling water over water and dipping of heated iron into the water.
In the 19th century, the Germ Theory of Diseases proposed that micro-organisms cause many infectious diseases. Though this theory wasn’t fully developed then, its use is evident in the cholera outbreak that occurred in 1854 in Broad Street. John Snow, an English physician, through his investigations, identified that the source of cholera originated from the public water pump. As seen in this example, water is the medium in which this bacterium was spread. This theory was later further developed and proven with many experiments done by several individuals.
With the acquisition of this knowledge of bacterial causing diseases being known to people, they were eager to prevent themselves from getting the disease and were finding ways to kill these bacterial. Through boiling of water in kettles, many bacteria can be eliminated and as such, this helps in preventing the spread of diseases. As seen here, the obtaining of knowledge helped to encourage the usage of kettles as a tool for killing bacteria.
With the advancement of technology, which helps to facilitate sterilization and the increased availability of clean water from taps, there wasn't a real need for kettles any-more as a tool for purification of water.
In today’s modern society where we are able to have quick access to clean water, kettles are now often commonly being used as tools for obtaining hot water for making beverages.
In retrospect, we can see that the purpose of using a kettle first started with the idea of simply cooking and followed by the drive to improve the taste of water. With the acquirement of knowledge about microbes and the development of the germ theory of disease, we are able to see that kettles are used not only to improve the taste but also as a means of killing micro-organisms. As we advance with technology and obtain improved knowledge, we “abandon” the use of kettle to purify water. Its primary use now is being a tool of getting hot water.