Aggressively promoting the ice trade, Tudor drew considerable criticism from prominent theologians who argued that keeping ice underground in summer, similar to the practice of raising flowers under glass in winter, reversed the natural order of the universe and was therefore sinful. Nonetheless, benefits of a technology allowing for extended storage of meat, fruit and vegetables were soon apparent and by the late 1870's over 700,000 tons of ice per year were being shipped throughout the United States. By 1920, however, mechanical refrigeration replaced ice and Frederick Tudor disappeared from the annals of American business. The rise and fall of the ice delivery and storage industry serves to illustrate three points that I believe are worth remembering today as we consider the debate surrounding agricultural biotechnology. First, opposition frequently accompanies technological innovation.
Opposition arises from fact, myth or cherished belief.
The obvious difficulty is to determine an elusive truth. Secondly, technologies that eventually win acceptance do so after demonstrating a clear benefit to society with few risks. A ready supply of ice fundamentally improved the safety and dynamics of food distribution, reducing disease and infection especially for those living in America's expanding cities. Whether the natural order of the universe had changed remained the subject of debate but living standards were undeniably higher. Lastly, technology, spawned by the limitless bounds of human intellect, continues to evolve as knowledge and understanding of our world increases.