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Mechanomorphosis: Science, Management, and "Human Machinery" in Industrial Canada, 1900-45

1998; Athabasca University Press; Volume: 41; Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/25144226

1911-4842

Cynthia Comacchio,

Canadian Identity and History

By the early 20th century, the changes taking place in western industrial capitalist nations prompted an adaptive shift in the socioeconomic delineation of human bodies, and in scientific theories about how they worked and how they could be put to work. Just as the rising social sciences borrowed from medicine to convey images of social malaise, medicine increasingly appropriated an industrial vocabulary to conceptualize bodily health. Depicted variously as a machine, a motor, a factory in itself, the human body absorbed industrial symbolism. Modern industry demanded an intensification of labour that made bodily efficiency paramount. The corresponding definition of health also shifted, from emphasis on physical endurance, which could be secured by simple replacement of outworn workers, to optimum labour efficiency, which had to be actively instilled in all workers, present and future. Scientific management programs were easily integrated with regulatory medical notions concerning the human body and human nature, as science, medicine and technology combined forces to promote a machine ethic that equated modernity, progress, efficiency, and national health. This paper considers the relationship between changing conceptualizations of the human body, developing medical influence and state regulation of health, and attempts to Taylorize the labour process in early 20th century Canada. Resume Au debut du vingtieme siecle, les changements ayant lieu dans les pays capitalistes occidentaux ont provoques une modification dans la representation socio-economique des corps humains et des theories scientifiques sur leur fonctionnement et leur mise au travail. Au moment ou les sciences sociales s'inspiraient de la medecine pour presenter une image de malaise social, la medecine appropriait de plus en plus un vocabulaire industriel pour conceptualiser la sante physique. Represente de diverses facons —comme une machine, un moteur, une usine — le corps humain etait investi de symbolisme industriel. L'industrie moderne demandait une intensification du travail qui fait le rendement physique de premiere importance. La definition de la sante change de facon correspondant, d'une importance particuliere portee a l'endurance physique, qui pouvait etre assuree par un simple remplacement des travailleurs epuises, a l'optimisantion de l'efficacite au travail, qui devait etre instillee dans chaque travailleur, present et futur. Des programmes de gestion scientifique furent aisement integresaux notions de regulation medicale telles qu'appliquees au corps humain et a la nature humaine, au moment ou la science, la medecine, et la technologie combinaient leurs forces pour promouvoir une ethique de la machine qui assimilie modernite, progres, efficacite, et sante nationale. Cette etude considere la relation entre les conceptualizations changeantes du corps humain, l'influence medicale croissante et la regulation de la sante par l'Etat, et les efforts pour «taylorise» le processus de travail dans la societe canadienne du debut du vingtieme siecle.