Diaries

These collections contains the diaries, letters, postcards and images that Dempwolff sent from Papua New Guinea, South West Africa and German East Africa to his parents in Germany.

Collection Papua New Guinea 1895–1896

This collection contains the diaries, letters, postcards and images that Dempwolff sent from Papua New Guinea to his parents in Germany from 1895 to 1896.

During this period, he worked there as a doctor for the German New Guinea Company.

Dempwolff describes life in the former German colony, meeting locals and working with nurse Auguste Hertzer (1855–1934). He also reports on disputes within the German New Guinea company.

Collection South West Africa 1898–1900

This collection contains the diaries, letters, postcards and images that Dempwolff sent from South West Africa to his parents in Germany from 1898 to 1900.

During this period, he served as a medical officer in the German South West African Schutztruppe.

Dempwolff describes life in the former German colony from the point of view of a doctor, the cooperation with members of the "Kaiserliche Schutztruppe" and the pecuniary problems that his stay there caused.

Collection Western Islands (Papua New Guinea) 1902

This collection contains the diary which Dempwolff wrote in 1902 during a sea voyage to the Western Islands (Papua New Guinea).

In the years 1901 to 1903 he worked in Papua New Guinea as a member of the Kaiserliche Schutztruppe in an à la suite position on behalf of Robert Koch in malaria research.

Dempwolff describes life on the Western Islands (Papua New Guinea) from the perspective of a doctor and budding ethnologist / linguist as part of a sailing trip organized by Heinrich Rudolf Wahlen (Hernsheim & Co).

Collection South West Africa (Herero Wars) 1904–1905

This collection contains the diaries, letters, postcards and images that Dempwolff sent from South West Africa to his parents in Germany from 1904 to 1905.

During this period, he served as a medical officer in the German South West African Schutztruppe.

Dempwolff describes the living conditions, wartime events, diseases, and supply problems during the Herero uprising (Waterberg ...) within the Schutztruppe from the perspective of a staff physician.

Collection German East Africa 1906–1910

This collection contains the diaries, letters, postcards and images that Dempwolff sent from German East Africa to his parents in Germany from 1906 to 1910.

During this period, he served as a medical officer in the German East African Schutztruppe.

Dempwolff describes living conditions and disease control (including with Robert Koch) in German East Africa from the perspective of a staff physician. Furthermore, he describes his linguistic research of African and Austronesian languages.