Personal Cleanliness (US Navy, 1945)

In this film aimed at marines in the field, some points of personal hygiene are presented in humorous animation. The results of inattention to cleanliness, especially of the feet, are stressed.
Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: resource.nlm.ni...
Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: www.nlm.nih.go...
#militaryhistory #marines #personalhygiene

[@francismausley7239]

This film is about 75 years old! "And although bodily cleanliness is a physical thing, it hath, nevertheless, a powerful influence on the life of the spirit … The purport is that physical cleanliness doth also exert its effect upon the human soul." - Abdu’l-Baha, Baha'i Faith

[@margiethessin8975]

This reminds me of my son going on a 2 week camping trip in the 7th grade and 2 brothers would not shower. Finally two of the teachers had to force them into the bathhouse and bar the door until they cleaned up. But they were 12 not grown-ass adults!

[@TAROTAI]

speaking of _ass_ oh yeah, peeyu

[@MicheleBohmke]

Kids can reek too

[@Sparkina]

@@MicheleBohmke The point is that adults should have outgrown the I-don’t-wanna-take-a-bath thing

[@hasaheadachenow]

Remember the time these were made in. Very young solders, thus cartoon PSA. lots of these fellas came from the country. And still had outhouses and carried pails of water to bathe.

[@Sparkina]

Still. These very young soldiers were young ADULTS. If a person is old enough to join the armed forces, he’s old enough to know how to keep a healthy body

[@NorthForkFisherman]

@@Sparkina Given the events of the past few years, are you sure that's a viewpoint that's realistic?

[@TASconfidential]

@@Sparkina they only know what they are taught. You’d be amazed at how many people are raised in households where general personal hygiene is damn near non-existent.

[@rudra62]

This was made 75 years ago - when WEEKLY bathing was done, with members of the family having priority to use the water first, second, third, fourth...last (little kids) had pretty nasty water to bathe in. This was done a lot in the country, but some in the city. MANY people had an idea that bathing "too frequently" hurt the skin, and would cause various diseases to arise. When it was COLD, there was not much in the way of central heat, and getting your hair wet was.... burr. Hot water heaters were not ubiquitous 75 years ago. Introducing guys to daily showers would have had its challenges.

[@Isawwhatyoudid]

@@Sparkina Then why was the film needed? Maybe they were a little rough around the edges - but they won the war didn't they?

[@panelvixen]

I might have discovered another source of "inspiration" for Strike Witches. There's an episode where most of the girls are taking a bath together and Yoshika drags Shirley and Lynne into it against their will.

[@WootTootZoot]

The very first order I had to give after making Sargent was to go to the barracks and actually order a guy to bathe, wash is clothes and turn in his filthy bedding. When I got to the barracks, it was easy to find his bunk, it literally stunk like an old garbage can. His clothes were crusted with sweat and body grime, his bedding was stuck together with mildew and body funk and we found out later he had sores under his arm pits and crotch from not bathing. The bedding was given back to him by the supply Sargent and told he had to buy new sheets, blankets, mattress and a pillow, and to throw the ones he had away. He also had to buy all new uniforms, and I had to stand at the shower room door to make sure he actually washed. Litteraly, a grown man having to be told to bathe. I can't recall anyone, even some of the bums I see around town, who were so filthy. He got away for so long because he worked a night shift and would wear his rain gear to duty so no one would notice. A new Flight Chief (USAF, btw) came in, made him take off the rain gear and I think that's when we all let out a collective gag at the sight of that fool. Any way, I was telling a buddy I knew who was in the Marines about this guy. He told me a story of when he was stationed on a ship about a Marine they couldn't figure out where he was sleeping. He never slept in his bunk, and always avoided the questions of where did he go. A some weeks later, they found he had been sleeping in a space between the hull and some bulkheads (I'm not Navy, I think those are the right words) When they got back into his "funk-hole" they found his filth was so thick they had to send guys in with pleasure washers and wearing protective bio-hazard suits to clean the place up. Some guys, god damn, where do they come from ?

[@angrychick9649]

mental illness. a childhood of abuse and negelct

[@Agent-vj3ns]

What's a pleasure washer?

[@sistersamich2075]

Thank you for your service!

[@playapleathe2.0]

@@Agent-vj3ns I know this comment is 2 yrs old, but just in case & for anyone probably wondering. I think what they meant to say was *pressure* washer.

[@Sparkina]

Lack of basic maturity. I mean, the rudiments of grooming and personal cleanliness are taught to us when we’re just out of infancy. Even if one has neglectful, abusive, sh!tty excuses for parents, someone who’s old enough to join the armed forces is old enough to keep a healthy body

[@cadavher]

Well that made my feet hurt lol

[@skunked42]

If you have never smelled someone with trench foot...well your life is just THAT small bit better than mine.

[@alexthompson9516]

Oh that McGillicuddy.

[@radaraacf]

Have trench foot a lot, always doing what I can, changing socks more than once a day, soaking in condys crystals, medicated foot powder and it would still take months to fix, the only fix was having my annual leave and wearing flip flops and properly drying them out for a week

[@cw9790]

Why do you have trench foot a lot?

[@radaraacf]

@@cw9790 wearing boots with wool socks to prevent blisters, im in Perth australia its 40-50C for half a year and then raining the other half sweat iand rain in the socks and they go white from the moisture like being in a bath too long, I don’t always remember to change my socks or able to dry my boots often enough sadly

[@procrastinator6902]

0:39 Love how they made sure to draw the horse's butthole in detail 🤣

[@55hivealive3]

Fascinating

[@leenorthcutt8421]

OMG, the socks😅

[@bennettperry93]

1:35 who the hell plays Taps for waking up?

[@bennettperry93]

Wait no it was night

[@MicheleBohmke]

Why not, you gotta get up, seems fitting.

[@gilliankingston8259]

Must have been bad when even the skunk didn't want to be anywhere near him.👃

[@McSynth]

What were they drinking back then ?

[@aleximalmgren5301]

So Private Snafu was for the army McGillicuddy is for Marines . Snafu was funnier .

[@JessicaC.]

Remember cleanliness is next to godliness.

[@terrywestbrook-lienert2296]

Ewww, McGillicuddy!

[@ul7185]

As Seen on Garfield Goose and Friends

[@fullforcegail8372]

Men, not knowing how to properly clean themselves since the beginning of time.

[@umdazayaka605]

Men created the water taps and washrooms though.

[@mpaxton8991]

My dad lost his stripes for conducting a GI shower on a soldier who refused to shower.

[@terrywestbrook-lienert2296]

M Paxton Your dad did the right thing. A man with wretched personal hygiene is a hazard to the rest of the troops: he's more likely to get sick and pass it on.

[@joyitadarling5815]

M Paxton but why did he lose his stripes because of it

[@gammondog]

Amazing to hear that a modern soldier would refuse to shower. I suppose that some of those old superstitions from the middle ages still persist for some people. Clearly they punished the wrong man.

[@pennypay1]

That kind of sloppiness is still around, but seriously. Regular showering is as basic as it gets, and sometimes an intervention is needed. Especially living in close quarters...

[@bobbastion7335]

That's fuqed up. They wouldn't order us to, but they would suggest that a shower party be given for a particular person. If they will discharge you for peeing the bed, I don't see why they would have a problem discharging a scumbag that won't bathe.

[@mattiasarvidsson8522]

those bugs are cute ;)

[@misa3663]

Yeah... but the bugs have stereotypical cartoon features of Asians, since this film takes place in WWII fighting the Japanese... 😕

[@aariix3]

omg just noticed it. fcked up

[@Vigilante-k4q]

TheKvack i think they were japanese bugs

[@Vigilante-k4q]

It was part of the war dept propaganda

[@schallrd1]

Nothing like a nice hot bath like it or not.

[@joanndavidson2769]

November 11 is end of WW 1 not 2.

[@RustyRuh]

pipipippipipipi

[@rallyboyd7151]

Loved the racist ending

[@rallyboyd7151]

McOscillator funny that you can call me a snowflake and lecture me on freedom when I went to war and lost the use of my right leg, for people like you to say things like that. Not everyone in the armed services are robots who think only of themselves, as you've implied with your post. In fact I doubt many would not see that ending as having a racist tone, as was common in propaganda film of the era.

[@janebook294]

as it should be

[@janebook294]

not enough

[@moniquebrown7778]

Rally Boyd, I didn't 🙄👎🏿One day we'll all see each other as brothers & sisters the way GOD intended🙏🏿🌷💕

[@rallyboyd7151]

Monique Brown it was sarcasm

[@Plumduff3303]

Trump should watch this

[@matthewlane518]

Lol all the bugs were japanese stereotypes

[@keeleehudson]

All this just to get someone to clean themselves.. it's a bit overboard IMO.

[@skunked42]

Yeah. No. As a Vet I am sad to say that I had to watch grown men shower to ensure they did so. And watch them clean their rack and clothes.

[@judywilson6788]

.

[@mercy_inspirations]

funny but true

[@robertcuminale1212]

The Navy has soap that works in salty and hard water. You use it initially and then rinse off with fresh water.Fresh water is difficult to get so it is made aboard ship using canvas balloons to condense water from humidity. There are kits on lifeboats.

[@matthewlane518]

He wasn't a great soldier but he didn't deserve that lol

[@joanndavidson2769]

Todd put up thi Telegraph Line. Russian.

[@Ninjamohawk]

Wow racist and mean. God bless the USA

[@WWZenaDo]

They're bathing in sea water...

[@bobbastion7335]

....which doesn't work. Your soap won't lather up. I guess it's better than nothing when you're funky.

[@MicheleBohmke]

@@bobbastion7335 The soap was lathering so the water wasn't too salty or poetic license.

[@DaFunkler-gp6ie]

Smelling like garbage is a turn off.

[@miisu111]

Racist cartoon