I started learning German from my dad’s Jr. Highschool book from the 1960s but had no one around who spoke German. My pronunciation was… interesting (even trying to mimic what the guide was telling me in the front of the book). When I finally tried to speak to people, it was also funny to learn that several things were quite out-of-date (Feder vs Kuli I think was one).
Human urine was collected and used for many things (mostly the ammonia). Human feces was used as fertilizer in a lot of the world until very recent times and collected in certain areas.