Introduction
 

    Medical technology and its technological constituents have had many effects on society as a whole. The fact that technological change and time occur simultaneously brought me to a puzzling question. Did colonial technology shape the way Americans see their world today or is it just a side effect of time? All populations are shaped by countless aspects, one of the most important being time. With greater amounts of time societies can undergo much more substantial changes. Technology can be argued to have the same effect on a society. Which aspect of societal change has been shown to have the greatest affect?
 

Steps to advancement
 

    The basic principals of technology focus on the achievements of a small portion of the population. The creations their imaginations can manifest can range from simple to complex in their arrangement. These creations are often a product of necessity, society has a need for something and someone finds a way to get it to them efficiently. That method of demand then, supply is the concept behind the growth of all forms of technology. In colonial america I found three major changes that were involved in technological advancement. These changes include the improvement of; materials, power/energy, and system control. The impact of improvements in these areas can best be shown with proven examples.

The advancements
 

    An excellent example of improved system control is the first American Medical Association which was founded in New London Connecticut in 1763 Bunch and Hellemans (179). This society of medical practitioners and field experts increased, the accuracy of text translations and the knowledge of the latest surgical procedures. This communication feat was made possible because the creators of new procedures and devices were able to explain how to perform their procedures first hand, via forums and discussion boards. The improvements seen in power and energy are best explained with the example of James Watts' invention and patent of the separate condenser steam engine. Watts invention was more advanced  than earlier versions of the steam engine. Bunch and Hellemans state that his version used less fuel by allowing the cylinders to remain hot (180). This improvement over earlier models of the steam engine allowed people to travel farther for less money because it saved on space and price consuming fuel. " In today's society of rising gas prices we can all relate to this fuel saving solution ". According to Brook Hindle the material that was improved to make the greatest impact during this era was cast iron this combination of  2 to 4.5 percent carbon, 0.5 to 3 percent silicon, and lesser amounts of sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus (189). This new metal was formed by melting metals in hot furnaces. This new metal also gave rise to one of the most popular phrases in the 20th century " the hotter the fire the stronger the metal ". The elements and constant  presence of these three concepts hold true for post era advancements and advancements of modern times.
 

The effects of time
 

    The medical advancements during the colonial period progressed rapidly in comparison to prior time periods one of the factors that contributed to this rapid increase in technology was the French and Indian war. Any time a country goes to war the need for destructive devices and devices that heal are heavily desired. Therefore Bunch and Hellemans state that this war gave rise to many medical inventions such as the stethoscope and the medical thermometer (157). The advancement during this period had a sense of irony. This is because the more destructive the weapons became the greater the need was for medical devices. But the question is not how many inventions were created during the colonial time period. The question is weather or not they would have been invented given any other circumstances? Such as if there were no war or if the colonial people were not as open to change. That hypothetical question can be theorized but never proven. Because time is  a non spatial continuum. Its effects can never be reversed or transcended this in essence means you cannot change the past.
    To fully understand the effects time has on any society you have to have a appreciation for what time does to a society. It gives the society age and nothing more. Without the right circumstance no civilization will grow or advance technologically. This concept has been proven throughout the ages.
Examples of this are see in the countless civilizations that have died out. One of the most controversial being the atlantis civilization or even the mighty Roman empire. Both of these civilizations were advancing at astonishing rates right before there demise. and they had thousands of years to develop there societies. This gives emphasis to my position that states, " the effect time had on colonial technology could not amount to the effect that society had on technology ". And If time were responsible for the rate a society grew american society should not be as advanced as it is right now. Because in retrospect other civilizations have had decades longer than our society to increase their technological abilities. Whereas colonial america only had a short span of about  one hundred years.
 

The effects of society
 

    The effects a society can have on technology are almost endless. Because societies build on one another rather than just starting over. The progress of one society is often transferred to its predecessor. In the case of colonial american society it had built its self on several different societies. And it was preceded by the ante-bellum period which was as portrayed by Mark Canada as. The period from 1784 to 1865 a time of both expansion and division in the United States. And although they gained their independence from Britain in the Revolutionary War. some of its greatest technological attributes were attained from the British society. This can be seen through the language and the materials that the people of colonial america used. The people of colonial america created everything from new farming tools to new medical technologies. some of the new medical inventions that were produced include the first successful blood transfusion which took place between two dogs stated by Bunch and Hellemans(167). Other advances in medicine include improved false teethe instead of cellulose or wood based teeth they used malleable metals like aluminum. These are just a few of the  many other medical advances that can be attributed to colonial american society. These same materials have been modified and changed in varying ways until they reached the point they are at today. It is this lego effect of societies building on one another that has propelled american society into the present day. The point of these illustrations is to demonstrate the overwhelming amount of information that colonial society has to contribute to the way american society has been shaped and to show the limited amount of contributing factors that have been found in the area of time.
 

Final thoughts
 

The majority of americans would agree, that the past plays a larger role in the way that we live our lives than the present. Even though some of the aspects of present time give society certain rules and boundaries. The past decides where those limits and boundaries start and end. Although time does not have an immense effect on the growth of technology. It does have a large effect on society and in this way it effects the rate of technological advancement. This is a relationship that was true for colonial society and is true for society today.
 

Works cited
 

            Bunch, Bryan and Alexander Hellemans The Timetables of Technology. New York ,St. Martin's Press, 1993.

            McGaw, Judith A. Technology Making & Doing Things From The Colonial Era To 1850.
            Williamsburg, Virginia: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994.

            Hindle, Brook. Technology in Early America. Williamsburg, Virginia: The University of North
            Carolina Press, 1966.

            http://www.atlan.org/

            http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/maps/basicmap.html

            http://www.ama-assn.org/

            http://www.ohiokids.org/ohc/history/h_indian/events/frnchwar.html

            http://encarta.msn.com/

            http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/17841865/history/history.htm