Book Review: Albert Schweitzer's Mission Healing and Peace

 

Albert Schweitzer's Mission Healing and Peace: With Hitherto Unpublished Letters from Schweitzer, Nehru, Eisenhower, Khrushchev, and Kennedy

Author: Norman Cousins

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company, hardcover, 319 pages, including Acknowledgments, Editor's Note, and Index

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author

Norman Cousins wrote for Saturday Review, and later became professor of humanities in the medical faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles. He also authored Anatomy of an Illness, Human Options, The Human Heart, and The Words of Albert Schweitzer. He was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Medicine degree at Yale University by the Connecticut Medical Association and the New Haven Medical Society. 

Contents

In addition to Acknowledgments, Editor's Note and Index, the main body of this volume is divided into "Part I. A Visit to Lambaréné" and "Part II. The Correspondence, Introduction, Letters: 1957-1963," and a concluding "Epilogue."

Observations

In "A Visit to Lambaréné," Norman Cousins noted how Dr. Schweitzer left book manuscripts he was working on laying around, so that some were easily scattered and even stepped on by animals. 

He also pointed out the irony of Dr. Schweitzer who could have enjoyed a career as a professional concert organist and pianist playing without complaint an out-of-tune, dilapidated, old upright piano in Lambaréné. 

Cousins observed how witch doctors had power over people by threatening them with evil spells if they went to the Schweitzer Hospital. 

"Dr. Schweitzer did not come to Africa for the purpose of building a towering medical centre. He came in order to meet the Africans on their own terms. What he built was an African village attached to a functional medical and surgical clinic." (p. 53)

Dr. Schweitzer could be gruff with the Africans--he could be patronizing, treating them like children. However, Dr. Schweitzer regarded his role at the hospital as father not only to the Africans, but to everyone. "He had a sense of total personal responsibility for everyone and everything at Lambaréné." (p. 55)

Dr. Schweitzer told Cousins that his correspondence (including to  the leaders of nations, among others) was increasing and getting further behind and was time-consuming. 

Cousins observed how energetic Dr. Schweitzer was--he could still vigorously work at nearly 83 years of age. He also noted the Doctor's sense of humour during mealtime.

Helena, Dr. Schweitzer's wife, told Cousins about her tuberculosis when she was young; her skiing accident that broke her spine; her daughter Rhene, who married Jean Eckert of Zurich, an organ builder; and how she had helped Dr. Schweitzer for many of the over 40 years in Lambaréné, prior to her becoming ill and walking with a cane. Cousins also states that he enjoyed other cordial visits with Mrs. Schweitzer, who had an interest in world events as well as his family. She died 2 months after his Lambaréné visit. 

On one occasion, Dr. Schweitzer spoke with Cousins for 2 hours about philosophy and philosophers. He was influenced by Hegel and the Stoic school. He also spoke about his own philosophy and his published and unpublished works. 

Cousins describes, in some detail, staff members who came from various countries and their duties in the hospital and lepers' village. Several of them had served in Lambaréné for many years. This was the case in spite of the fact that, according to Cousins, both the Schweitzer Hospital and leper village were under-staffed.

Cousins describes another conversation with Dr. Schweitzer about ethical, political and health issues in relation to nuclear energy and nuclear fallout from testing. 

The Doctor surprised Cousins when he gave him his unpublished manuscript of The Kingdom of God--which he had hand-written on the back of all kinds of forms and old letters. This epitomized Dr. Schweitzer's stewardship and commitment not to live in luxury.

In another conversation, the Doctor told Cousins the more he studied Christian theology, the more he thought that over the centuries it had become too complicated and obscure. As principal of a seminary Dr. Schweitzer realized that he could no longer believe or teach what he was taught; and could not teach what he believed. Therefore he painfully gave up his position as principal at the seminary. He confessed: "I decided I would make my life my argument. I would attempt to have my life and work say what I believed." (p. 125) 

Cousins left Lambaréné having accomplished the purpose of his visit: he had Dr. Schweitzer's unpublished manuscript of The Kingdom of God, and his promise of a future statement on world peace and the problem of nuclear testing. 

Part II "The Correspondence," contains letters of Cousins and Dr. Schweitzer up to the year the latter died in 1965, as well as letters to others. "Most of the correspondence was on the key issues of the times--the deterioration of international relations, the hazards of the nuclear arms race (including dangers to the environment caused by testing), and the pervasive sense of uncontrolled drift toward a nuclear holocaust." (p. 143)

Cousins also includes Dr. Schweitzer's "A Declaration of Conscience" statement, which was broadcasted on radio from Oslo, and was deliberately chosen by Schweitzer because the Nobel Committee resided there. In it, he described the dangers of testing uranium, hydrogen and cobalt bombs and their radioactive fallout. He also appealed to citizens of the world to press their governments to end the testing of atomic weapons. Dr. Schweitzer's statement was also broadcasted on many transmitters throughout the world.

Many of the letters focus on the banning of nuclear weapons testing; the question of Berlin; and the Cuban missile crisis.

Dr. Schweitzer was grateful to have served in the medical profession into his nineties. 

According to Cousins, in his "Epilogue," Schweitzer's greatest achievement was spreading his moral vision internationally. "The greatness of Schweitzer--indeed, the essence of Schweitzer--was the man as symbol." (p. 303) 

Cousins goes on to cite how Schweitzer inspired people around the globe to found hospitals in impoverished places; medical clinics; and an orphanage. "Schweitzer demonstrated that one man (or woman) can make a difference." (p. 306)

Dr. Albert Schweitzer's freedom to sacrificially serve others mirrors the spirit of Jesus, and undoubtedly continues to inspire hundreds, thousands, and perhaps even millions today. Thank God for the Albert Schweitzers of this world!