Tapestry Press
On the Edge of the Primeval Forest
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Tapestry Press
On the Edge of the Primeval Forest
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On the Edge of the Primeval Forest & More from the Primeval Forest by Albert Schweitzer. 1956. MacMillan Co. 220p. While a professor of theology and an organist at the University of Strasbourg Dr. Albert Schweitzer determined to become an MD to serve the natives of Africa. Having completed his medical studies and given organ recitals to raise funds to support his endeavors, in 1913 with his wife he sailed for the west coast of Gabon. There he built and operated a mission hospital at Lambarene on the Ogowe River just south of the equator. In this book he records his experiences from 1913-1917 during his first stay and from 1924-1927 during his second stay. In 1913 the coastal tropical rain forests were nearly impenetrable except by waterways. Only huge mahogany trees growing on the river banks could be cut and floated in rafts to ports. The logs were sold for export for timber production. This was the major commercial enterprise of the area. Surprisingly, as there are no native fruit or nut trees, food for humans was in short supply. Natives ate bananas from imported trees, manioc with occasional fish or monkey flesh. At the mission, because conditions were unsuitable for growing potatoes, essentially all foods were imported. Dr. Schweitzer developed the first hospital with its leaf roof. With his wife serving as nurse he treated African sleeping sickness, malaria (& advanced malaria or blackwater fever), leprosy, yaws, hookworm, dysentery, tropical eating sores, etc. Many cases of sunstroke, accidental injury and poisoning occurred. They surgically removed huge growths from elephantiasis. Interestingly he reported no cases of appendicitis or cancer. From the encyclopedia I learned that he had both African sleeping sickness and leprosy, that he worked on scholarly writing while in Africa, and that he lived to be 90 years old. What a very remarkable man! March 2003 Back
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