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
Society for the Promotion of the Physical Exploration of the Dutch Colonies number of famous classical and exploration trips to, among other Borneo and Dutch New Guinea were developed by and under the auspices of the Society and the Indian Committee for Scientific Investigations, a sister organisation in Batavia, Dutch East Indies. Society for the Promotion of the Physical Exploration of the Dutch Colonies The Society for the Promotion of the Physical Exploration of the Dutch Colonies (Dutch: Maatschappij ter Bevordering van het Natuurkundig Onderzoek der Nederlandsche Koloniën) was founded on 14 May 1890 in Amsterdam, with the mission of increasing the knowledge of the botany of the Dutch colonies. This knowledge