Addendum: Four sketches by Dr. Ipscher
After the completion of the first project, several sketches were found in a blue notebook in the Wegemuseum, which had been stored in a drier climate. The drawings are most likely by Dr. Ipscher and document his designs for isolation and quarantine stations for the Schutztruppe (protection force) in Douala and Kribi.
In 1901, the headquarters of the administration and the protection force were relocated to Buea because of its more tolerant climate. The local population was expelled. However, the medical station remained in Douala.
Four colored sketches
The three colored topographical sketches, glued to blue cardboard, show a schematic representation of the isolation and quarantine stations proposed by Dr. Ipscher for the towns of Douala, Deidodorf, and Kribi. There is also a technical drawing "Model of an English 3,000-ton steamer from Liverpool," the use or purpose of which has not yet been sufficiently determined. Whether Dr. Georg Ipscher is the draftsman would require a more detailed handwriting comparison.
The date falls within the first year of Dr. Ipscher's deployment and corresponds to the medical report he compiled for 1900–1901. These are detailed plans of the city and its surroundings, depicting an urban or human geographical situation using standardized cartographic symbols. It is conceivable that these sketches were drawn by someone with cartographic training and attached to the report, although the headings "Sketch of the proposed by me..." contradict this and clearly refer to Ipscher.
The focus is on the functional interaction of geomorphological conditions (swamps, rivers, mangroves, sea), the residential and working buildings of the colonial officials and their families as well as the infrastructure, the residential buildings of the local population and the medical care (hospitals and quarantine stations).
(Dr. Kerstin Volker-Saad)
Map of Duala
Sketches by Dr. Ipscher
Map of Kribi
Sketch by Dr. Ipscher (Kribi)
ship model
General Medical Report for 1900/1901
Dr. Ipscher wrote the general medical report of the Imperial Protection Force for Cameroon in 1900/1901.
He identified the region's problems, especially malaria and its prophylaxis, and medically evaluated the troops' activities in Douala. He briefly and soberly described the "expeditions" and "constant raids" near Yaoundé, Kribi, and Ebolova, as well as the subjugation of the kingdoms, e.g., "In mid-August, the train to Tibati and Ngaundere set out from Joko with the help of the Yaoundé and Kribi stations." He referred to doctors involved in punitive expeditions when discussing cases of smallpox among the soldiers. He documented historically relevant facts rather incidentally, for example, in the injury statistics, "because they provided a picture of the severity and duration of the fighting in the individual companies."
Although he describes the specifics of the regions he must have traveled through with local knowledge, no evidence has yet been found that he participated in the military expeditions mentioned.
However, he may have supplemented his collection with objects from expedition participants. This can be deduced from letters to Count von Linden, among other things.
Apparently, Dr. Ipscher continued to work with tropical diseases after 1903. At the German Colonial Congress in 1905, he was mentioned for a discussion on preventive measures for blackwater fever, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Academy's roster states, "He was active in the literary field of tropical diseases."
