Musterung: military medical induction

Literally the German military medical induction. We already have topics re: military physicals, but, according to writer Lars G. Petersson, musterung has its quirks. It is required of all seventeen year old boys (think of our new understanding of brain development in teenagers). In most instances, boys are required to strip to underwear and shoes/socks from the outset, whether for eye exams or vital signs. The inductees are male. The staff is largely female. There is a seeming fixation with genitals which are handled/ examined by the female staff. The induction process is by orders: stand here; lift this; stand there, etc.

Musterung tumblr brings up daily images of Russian and Chinese inductions. In the latter, inductees are naked throughout. The staff, at least, are male. In the former, the current inductees are in underwear as with mustering. In many, the final step involves an inductee standing naked in front of a group of officials at a fixed point on the floor.

Yes, it is interesting to compare methods used in different countries. Here's a link to the Musterung site:

http://musterung.tumblr.com/archive

There's not a lot of information around about female induction, though - and, sadly, hardly any pictures!

'Julielucky' did post an account of hers on another thread:

http://www.zity.biz/index.php?mx=forum;ox=display;topic=12721.msg517745#msg517745

Here's some information on the Lars G Peterson book, where's it's possible to read quite a lot of it.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=q49aA7jq9ekC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

Thanks for the links, Macca. It would be interesting, here, to have posts by country and time period, i.e. pre/post draft if the U.S., to see how trends may have changed in countries without required service

Didn't have a military exam but had group exams for sports in my underwear only in a large group. Awkward. Had that experience several times but no permanent damage to any of us.

Indeed, even the expressions of the guys waiting in their underwear outside doors or in hallways don't show real comfort. The line ups remind us that were we part of them, we would not have had this viewpoint. We would have been looking at backs or sides or ahead.

Thank you so much, Jules! The current pics are wonderful because while the recruits would be naked- are naked when the photographer showed up- he, or she, has them using shirts to cover things, most of genitals for the weigh in, their lap when seated. And, as opposed to the honest expressions of (Russians?), their hair is perfect and they smile (for the camera).

I'm surprised at how many of the photos and videos appear to be both real and taken with state authorization. Some seem to be taken by the inductees themselves, laughter and camera angles tell the story, most of these seem to be Russian. Are there High School physical in which the boys are required to drop trough for the doc in a class room? Some look like that's happening. There are a few films in Barracks and shower rooms clearly taken by the soldiers where the guys seem un-phased or even encouraged by the video cameras. The videos appear to be recent enough that the guys should know they would end up on the web.

Some of the videos from China look to be taken by the staff or in a few cases news crews.

Most surprising are the LIFE Photos of US military exams from what look like WWII. I didn't think that pics of naked men, genitals exposed were ever published in main stream media, especially in that era. It's hard to understand how such pics benefited the war effort but I'm confident that was their purpose.

Most surprising are the LIFE Photos of US military exams from what look like WWII.

I know the series of photos that you're probably referring to. And yes, it's amazing to really see the kind of photos that were published in a magazine like Life, which was supposed to be 100% mainstream and a family-type magazine that everyone could read.

Some of my favorite photos are actually from Life magazine. They demonstrate just how different a time it was, and how different their view of what is and is not acceptable was.

A lot of the Life pictures are outtakes, and were never published in the magazine.

A lot of the Life pictures are outtakes, and were never published in the magazine.

You're probably right that a good number of the photos that are surfacing now were never published. However, that doesn't mean they didn't publish some things that they could never get away with today.

Case in point, in this Jan 13, 1941 issue, you'll find my personal all-time favorite photo that I've ever found in Life magazine (or just about anywhere else for that matter):

https://books.google.com/books?id=RUoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Use the page selector on the upper-right to scroll down to page 61. There you'll find the beginning of an article entitled "Democracy in schools". It's supposed to be about "young American's discover the responsibilities of freedom". Yeah, right, whatever. But they have various photos of high school boys and girls. When you get to page 66, you'll probably say out loud: "Oh my"!

That page (66) highlights the "physical training" classes -- high school P.E. in today's lingo. The two photos contrast the girls and boys classes. At the top you see the girls in their gym uniforms doing some kind of floor exercise. In stark contrast to the girls, at the bottom of the page, you see a group of boys. They're not in the gym. They're not exercising. They're not even dressed. There are (by my count) 23 boys, stark naked in the gym showers after class! Their young nude bodies are seen under the water, rinsing off, soaping up and everything else that goes with it. No, you don't see any full frontal shots of the boys -- most are seen from the back or side view showing their tight little bare asses.

No, this photo doesn't have anything to do with examinations, or even anything remotely medical. But ever since I stumbled upon it years ago, I've been fascinated with it. Why did they publish such a photo in a family magazine? How did those boys feel about being seen like that afterward? Why not show the girls nude and in the shower too? What kind of double-standard existed?

Most of all, that photo reminds me of my own high school days in P.E. My high school gym shower was different than the one pictured there, but the whole idea that a large group of boys would be in there together showering was the same for me.

A lot of the Life pictures are outtakes, and were never published in the magazine.

I'm surprised the Military allowed the pictures to be taken.

Talk about changing attitudes!

If you read the caption on the LIFE picture of the showering boys it reads..."The example of Democracy the boys displayed was that they did not shove each other around to be in the picture or underneath the shower. They awaited their turns instead"

Clearly at least the boy quoted felt it was an honor to have his picture published, even if he was naked.

Clearly at least the boy quoted felt it was an honor to have his picture published, even if he was naked.

I always thought that one quote was interesting and really summarized the attitudes around nudity at the time. Apparently, not only did the boys understand that nude showering together in close proximity to each other was normal and expected, some of them actually were honored to be photographed like that! I can just imagine the conversations between the boys that were featured like that and the other students (girls and boys) when that issue of Life came out.

And that's really what I like about that photo. The fact that showering like that was considered so "normal" at the time that it was viewed as perfectly OK to publish a photo like that.

May be the photo of boys stark naked in a shower gang under shower heads or waiting their turn in the nude and laughing which was edited in "Life Magazine" was kept in families where a boy had been shot on the photo if he was easy to recognize him and it was shown with pride in meet families to all other siblings as aunts, uncles, grand mothers, grand fathers, cousins of both genders.

And I guess that it was just considered as normal, not at all indecent and shocking and no care for the embarrassment of the boy if he was rather shy towards nudity which was in fact rather seldom and certainly not expected by his parents.

It is funny if we try to imagine such a situation today

May be it was the same with a photo of a draftee at his physical examination

I remember a photo in a french new paper of a group of naked draftees standing in line in front of a military doctor in an examination room in the last 60's.

Most of them were shot from the back exposing only their naked butts so normally it was difficult to identify them, but a few were turning their heads towards the photograph, so they could be recognized.

I am rather sure that their agreement had not been required before the photo.

And I do not know what was the reaction of siblings when they saw the photo, if the parents were pleased and proud to have a photo of their naked son in that situation and what about sisters ...or girlfriends

The Musterung Tumblr is great. Wished there was a female version.

You're probably right that a good number of the photos that are surfacing now were never published. However, that doesn't mean they didn't publish some things that they could never get away with today.

Case in point, in this Jan 13, 1941 issue, you'll find my personal all-time favorite photo that I've ever found in Life magazine (or just about anywhere else for that matter):

https://books.google.com/books?id=RUoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

That is amazing. I had seen that photo before but did not realize it was from Life Magazine.

We got life magazine at home when I was a kid and I do remember an issue with an article about West Point and there was a photo of what I presume was a new student walking across a gym holding a clip board and wearing nothing but a jockstrap.

That is amazing. I had seen that photo before but did not realize it was from Life Magazine.

We got life magazine at home when I was a kid and I do remember an issue with an article about West Point and there was a photo of what I presume was a new student walking across a gym holding a clip board and wearing nothing but a jockstrap.

I found this one on West Point (page 86).

https://books.google.com/books?id=g04EAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=life+magazine+%22nov+3,+1941%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDp8-O-pH4AhUHAZ0JHSuxDXw4ChDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=life%20magazine%20%22nov%203%2C%201941%22&f=true

But I didn't see the photo you mentioned. It must have been some other issue.

@JimmyJohnson look on page 66.

I’m having trouble finding the pic you guys are talking about

The Musterung Tumblr is great. Wished there was a female version.

Musterung is now on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/musterung

@JimmyJohnson look on page 66.

No, the one on page 66 is the link that I originally posted from this edition (my all-time favorite photo!):

https://books.google.com/books?id=RUoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

I was looking for the one that @Tighty_Whiteis_Now mentioned in his post concerning “west point” and was unable to find it.

When I was in Europe awhile back I believe it was finland the guys said their military medical exams were done by female doctors with at least one and sometimes two females filling out papers or watching. The had to strip to underwear only and then allow a complete genital exam. Some of the older military men thought it was outrageous.

I had to go through this type of exam when I was 18. I was examined by a female doctor with a female nurse present. It was not a group exam tho.

An example from Ukrain Republic:

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/augenblick-hingucker-a-658394.html