Post #511510 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Tue, Feb 16, 2010 9:17 PM

One of my favorite items is the small pocket guide that the Army and Navy gave to its troops going to New Guinea in WWII:

It tries to put a positive spin on the island adventure the soldier is about to partake in, but the chapters on hook worms, tropical ulcers, mosquitos and fungus are pretty grim:

"Most unpleasant of all, perhaps, are the leeches which grab at you, or drop on you from leaves in the jungle. They will probably get in through to your skin no matter what you wear. If allowed to bloat up on your blood they will drop off. Get rid of them as soon as you can. But never tear them off, as a bad sore may result. A lighted cigarette, a cigarette lighter, a spit of tobacco juice, soapy water, gasoline, or a pinch of salt are used to make leeches let go. Don't scratch the spot afterwards, or it may become a sore. 'Tis said old residents miss all such vermin when they leave the islands"

More advice:

WHAT MAKES TROUBLE WITH THE NATIVES
Interfering with native women;
Entering sacred places without permission, and touching sacred things;
Molesting gardens, orchards, and interfering with pigs;
Taking goods owned by natives without compensation--even perhaps cutting trees or shooting game in their territories;
Coercion in recruiting labor, or clearing roads;
Striking or swearing at natives;
Entering native houses out of curiosity;
Making a lavish display of articles valued by natives;

Best of all are the illustrations. Tiny drawings of PNG artifacts throughout:

and really nice watercolors (or are they pastels?):

The image above, which is also used in outline-form on the cover, was based on a picture from a 1934 book, "Südsee; ein Reisebuch", by German photographer Hugo Bernatzik, which I'm sure Bigbro will appreciate.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-02-17 00:36 ]