Betrayal of Dr. Schweitzer’s message  by Cesar Chelala
LAMBARENE, Gabon — I first learned of Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s
work when I was a medical student in the 1960s. During those
years, the story of Schweitzer’s efforts to improve the health
of Africans in his hospital in Lambarene ignited my colleagues’
and my imaginations. It was thus with a sense of privilege that
I recently visited his hospital here, where his excellent work
continues today. Sadly, the same cannot be said about the
continuation of his message of peace.  Schweitzer’s own life,
before his work in Africa, had been extraordinary — that of a
man blessed with many talents. Born in Alsace in 1875, he became
an outstanding organist and musicologist while quite young,
particularly excelling in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
At Strasbourg University, he pursued courses in philosophy and
medicine, while continuing his musical training. When he was 22,
he won a scholarship that enabled him to study philosophy at the
Sorbonne and to continue stu