Chapter II 



HISTORY 



The algae as such have a history that is as old as that of other plants. 

 The first references to algae are to be found in early Chinese litera- 

 ture but there are also references in Roman and Greek literature. 

 The Greek word for alga was Phykos whilst in Roman times they 

 were called Fucus and were used by matrons for cosmetic purposes. 

 The Roman writer Virgil apparently did not have much use for 

 them as he writes of *nihil vilior alga'. The Chinese regarded them 

 aesthetically and this is signified in their name of Tsao. In the 

 eighth century there are references to several kinds of Tsao. Algae 

 have been known for a long time in Hawaii where they are used as 

 a food and are called Limu. 



In the early centuries writings about algae were restricted either 

 to their use or else to their taxonomy. As with other plants no real 

 progress was made in our scientific knowledge of the algae until 

 the invention of the microscope. As early as the twelfth century, 

 however, algae were being used for manurial purposes on the north 

 coast of France. From here it seems that the practice spread to 

 Great Britain, because in the sixteenth century there is reference to 

 their use for the same purpose. This use of the algae for manure 

 may have had something to do with the idea that they were 'bred of 

 putrefaction' as described in 1583 by Cesalpino. 



Up to about 1800 all algae were usually placed in one of four 

 great genera, Fucus, Ulva, Conferva and Corallina. Char a (p. 121) 

 was known but commonly grouped with the horsetails {Equisetum). 

 Gerard's Herbal (1633) lists Lichen, Quercus, Fucus, Char a. Con- 

 ferva, and sixty years later Ray gave an account of the characters of 

 Corallina, Fucus, Muscus and Lichen. In the same century (seven- 

 teenth) the use of brown seaweeds for fertihzer in France had 

 reached such a pitch that special decrees were passed in connexion 

 with their collection. At the other end of the world the art of 

 making agar permeated from China to Japan, and thus the founda- 

 tion was laid for what was later to become a great industry. 



During the eighteenth century the more observant workers 



II 



