Speleology meteorology and cartography to develop portraits of caves as complex, evolving systems. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century the scientific value of caves was considered only in its contribution to other branches of science, and cave studies were considered part of the larger disciplines of geography, geology or archaeology. Very little cave-specific study was undertaken prior to the work of Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938), the 'father of modern speleology', who through his extensive and well-publicised cave explorations introduced in France the concept of speleology as a distinct area of study. In 1895 Martel founded the Société de Spéléologie, the first organization devoted
International Journal of Speleology International Journal of Speleology The International Journal of Speleology is since 1978 the official peer-reviewed scientific journal of the "Union Internationale de Spéléologie". Since 1981 it has been published by the Società Speleologica Italiana. The "International Journal of Speleology" is divided into four sections: Botany-Microbiology, Zoology, Geology-Geomorphology, and Abstract-News. The first issue was edited by G. Claus (US), subsequently two other editors were added: R. Husson (France) and G Nicholas (USA). The first two volumes were published by the J. Kramer Verlag (Germany), followed by Swets & Zeitlinger N.V. (The Netherlands). In 1972 R. Husson became editor in chief and