Who was Albert Schweitzer? Philosopher, Theologian, Musician, Medical Doctor, winner of the Nobel Prize. But why do we include him here under medical anthropology? Because at the age of thirty-three, after having obtained his medical degree with specialties in tropical medicine, Dr. Albert Schweitzer embarked upon a passionate quest to establish a jungle hospital in Equatorial French Africa to “give back” in some way to the African negro who had suffered so much and for so long under the yoke of white colonialism. As you peruse these materials, you will encounter a person who had to adapt his European cultural training to a set of very different cultural circumstances and challenges in order to be successful in treating his native patients, much in the same way contemporary medical anthropologists must adapt their thinking and project to the needs of the community whom they wish to serve. Thus, I encourage you to watch this series of videos titled “Albert Schweitzer; My Life is My Argument” published by the Chapman Schweitzer Institute and learn how you, too, might be inspired to use your medical training, or special skills, in the service of humanity in whatever manner you may feel called to do and in the name of “Reverence For Life.”
Video & Web Resources
Albert Schweitzer – My Life is My Argument
Citation
Chapman Schweitzer Institute. (2014, October 20). Albert Schweitzer; My life is my argument [Video series]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/showcase/3098343?page=1
I also encourage readers to visit the Albert Schweitzer Institute web page at Chapman University. You will find a treasure trove of information about Schweitzer and his ethic of Reverence For Life.
Douglas Anderson
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