Albert Schweitzer is known to many people today, especially because he has said that the man must have respect from every walk of life. He called this "reverence for life". But this is not the only reason that Albert Schweitzer has become so famous: He built exactly 90 years ago in a hospital Lambarene to the people in the - to treat African country Gabon - still poor. In Europe he held from time to time lectures and played the organ music to make money for his jungle hospital. Schweitzer has also written many important books.

Life - from students in Alsace to the jungle doctor in Africa

On 14 January 1875 Albert Schweitzer was born in Kaysersberg (Alsace) as one of five siblings. Young Albert attended school in Gunsbach and Munster as well as the high school in Mulhouse, then he studied in Strasbourg, music, philosophy and theology. He later graduated from the University his doctoral exams and was even own theology professor.

"Theology" means "the doctrine of God or the teachings of religion." "Philosophy" actually means "friend of wisdom" and means "the science of knowledge about all important things in life"

In October 1905 Albert Schweitzer wrote his parents and his friends that he wanted to study medicine too, because he had decided to become a jungle doctor. Schweitzer later justified this decision as follows:

"Was the plan that I did now realize I have more around with me. Its origin goes back to my student days. It seemed to me inconceivable that I, where I have so many people around me are struggling with grief and sorrow saw , could lead a happy life. Even at the school had moved me when I gained insight into a sad family circumstances of classmates and the almost ideal, in which we had children of the parish house to Gunsbach so compared. (...) One bright summer morning, when I - it was in 1896 - awoke in the Whitsun to Gunsbach, surprised me the thought that I could not accept this good fortune for granted, but must give something for it. "

After Albert Schweitzer had completed his medical degree, he married Helene Bresslau 1912. The following year the couple Schweitzer went to Africa for the first time. After a journey that took almost a month, they reached on 16 Lambarene April 1913 and remained there until 1917. Meanwhile, in 1914 the first World War broke out in which inter alia France and Germany fought each other. Alsace, now part of France, was then still a part of Germany. Albert Schweitzer was a German words on paper. In Gabon, however, the French colonial army had set up. The "German" jungle doctor was therefore regarded by the French as "enemy" and to Europe. There he was interned in various places until the war ended 1918th Only then could he go back to Alsace.

In 1919 Albert Schweitzer's daughter Rhena was born, after he decided to continue its work in Lambaréné. After a concert and lecture tour through Switzerland, he went a second time to Africa, though not his wife. In the following years Albert Schweitzer lived alternately in Africa and Europe. In 1953 began in Lambaréné, next to the hospital who works for the construction of a village for lepers - formerly "leper" known "- that was two years later. Meanwhile, Albert Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Shortly afterwards he was in the Strasbourg Thomas Church his last public organ concert. Multiple warned the jungle doctor in the fifties of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

In May 1957, left Helene Schweitzer Lambaréné, just 10 days later she died at 78 in Zurich. After a recent visit to his home country left Europe for good in 1959 Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer was dedicated in honor of France Gabon gained independence in 1960 its first stamp of the famous jungle doctor. Five years later, on 4 Died September 1965, Albert Schweitzer at the age of 90 years in Lambarene, where he was buried.

The Legacy of Albert Schweitzer

As I have already said in the beginning, there are three things of Albert Schweitzer, who also are still important today: His organ music, the jungle hospital in Lambaréné and its call for reverence to keep for life.

The organ music

"Very few people," it says in the booklet to one of his CDs, "have won in so many areas such as Albert Schweitzer. Very early he was attracted to the music. With nine years already, he was the organist of his hometown. "At age 30 he published a very important book about the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Later he also wrote other books, such as on the organ. Albert Schweitzer has given many concerts in his lifetime, to earn money for his jungle hospital. His music was then recorded them on disk. Today there are a few of them on CDs.

The jungle hospital

When Albert Schweitzer was the first time since 1913 Lambarene, he treated his patients even in an old chicken coop. Later he built a hospital in this village, which was always bigger over time. After the jungle doctor had died in 1965, but ran out of money to Lambarene. For this reason, the hospital had been ruined and the wooden barracks were eaten by termites.

In 1971 was published in a French Church magazine an advertisement through the jungle they were looking for a new hospital administrator. This ad was reading Max Caulet, an old soldier who had fought in various wars, and now in southern France managed a vineyard. Caulet subsequently went to Lambarene, where he set up the hospital again. At the same time he collected all over the world money. After a few years in the jungle hospital could work again.

Sorry, got Max Caulet and the Swiss chief physician Andreas Steiner soon be armed with one another so that there were new problems. In the nineties, the situation calmed down. There are new people came to Lambaréné and the hospital was modernized. Even Albert Schweitzer's daughter Rhena looked now that everything was done properly. Today, a glance into the Internet that has become of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital a large, modern clinic with its own children's department. Each year 40,000 people are treated in Lambaréné. There are an average of 600 births and 2000 operations. Also, the leprosy village was rebuilt.

I have a few pictures of the jungle hospital brought in Lambaréné, which you can look after.

"Reverence for Life"

Albert Schweitzer was the son of a pastor and therefore was praying in his parents' house, too. Even as a young child Albert wanted to pray not only for humans but also for the animals. Every night before going to sleep so he said: "Dear God, protect and bless everything that has breath, keep her from all evil and let it sleep."

Made a great impression to the young Albert an experience he had at the age of 7 or 8 years. A friend had made the suggestion to shoot at birds with a slingshot. Albert did not really want to participate, but he was afraid his friend would laugh at him, so he went with anyway. He resolved, however, shoot with the slingshot to intentionally wrong. Just as they were aimed at a bird in the area, the church bells began to ring. Albert Schweitzer, this was "a sign from heaven." He shooed the birds, throwing away the slingshot and went home.

When Albert Schweitzer was grown long ago, he tried again and again for an answer to the question of how to behave in life. When, in 1915, once on a boat on the river Ogowe who was driving the flows past Lambarene at him, the answer suddenly: "Reverence for Life" was the keyword. What that meant, he described this way: ". Good is to preserve life and promote evil is to destroy life and to prevent" That's why Albert Schweitzer said, for example, that a worm, which on the sidewalk almost dried up , would save by making it back onto the lawn with. Schweitzer himself has acted Sun In his hospital, he has therefore maintained and animals and even surgery. He knew that some would laugh at him so, but he did not care.

Albert Schweitzer did, however, that it is not always possible to protect life. He said: "I am life that wants to live in the midst of life, life will." That means: "The calf will live. But I want to live, and therefore I have to eat. I can live with, so the animal must die. " Or: "I have to go by bike to school, while I will run over a few insects. Unfortunately, there is no other way! "

No man can only "protect life". This was known to Albert Schweitzer. A farmer, for example, mow the grass to feed his cows. This is necessary. But when he beheads a pastime flowers, this is not necessary and therefore bad. Often, however, one can not say exactly what is necessary and unnecessary. For example, when at night the mosquitoes buzzing around his head and bite me do. Shall I kill her or not? The decision I have to myself. If I kill them but, I have to be aware that I destroy life.