Presidential Address

Presidential Address by the President of CISH/ICHS, prof. José Peset at the opening of the congress

Water and Knowledge

Abstract:
Historically, one of the main preoccupations of culture and science is the knowledge of water, its chemical composition, distribution, use, localization and retrieval, and its management. For a long time, religious or mythical considerations gave it a mysterious aspect. After the birth of modern chemistry in the work of Lavoisier, the French scientist, the study of its properties and possibilities began. Water is studied in rivers and oceans, in the sky and earth, in the life of plants, animals and human beings. An inescapable necessity for life, the lack or the excess of water are serious problems today, giving to the study and use of waters a great value, be it in economical, political or moral terms.