Abstract :
The biodeterioration of materials is one of the oldest problems of mankind,
as testified by Homer, the pyramids, the Bible and other venerable sources
of knowledge. Empirical knowledge of the phenomenon and of ways to cope
with it are common knowledge. As a branch of science, however, the study of
the biodeterioration of materials is still in its infancy. Though the deterioration
of wood as a branch of phytopathology and the control of fouling on
shipsʹ hulls as a branch of technology dated already from the 19th century it
is only in the last few decades that a more general appreciation of the problem
has come to the fore. It is worthwhile to consider the biodeterioration of
materials, rooted in applied biology and technology of materials, as to its
place among the sciences.
A comparison of the concepts ʹbiodegradationʹ and ʹbiodeteriorationʹ
leads to a consideration of the manifold relations between organisms and
materials and to a systematization of these fields of science. By inverting the
problem and posing the question, ʹWhy do not all materials suffer from
biodeterioration?ʹ its limits may be appreciated.
