In 1912 Albert Schweitzer established a primitive East Equatorial Africa hospital 200 miles upstream (14 days by raft) from the mouth of the Ogooué River. After using a former chicken hut for a clinic, he built his first hospital consisting of a consulting room, operating theatre, dispensary, and sterilizing room. The hospital would continue to grow through the years.
In his autobiography, Out of My Life and Thought, Albert Schweitzer wrote that after deciding to pursue an academic life until he was 30-years old he would devote the rest of his life to the direct service of humanity. Schweitzer wanted to help people in a situation that was free as possible from bureaucratic entanglements. One evening in the autumn of 1904 while putting aside a magazine so that he could return to his academic work, his eye caught the title of an article, “The Needs of the Congo Missions.” Problems ensued when his intentions became known:
My relatives and my friends all joined in expostulating with me on the folly of my enterprise. I was a man, they said, who was burying the talent entrusted to him and wanted to trade with false currency. Work among savages I ought to leave to those who would not thereby be compelled to leave gifts and requirements in science and art unused. What seemed to my friends the most irrational thing in my plan was that I wanted to go to Africa, not as a missionary, but as a doctor, and thus when already thirty years of age burdened myself with a long period of laborious study. And that this study would mean for me a tremendous effort, I had no manner of doubt. I did, in truth, look forward to the next few years with dread. I wanted to be a doctor, however, that I might be able to work without having to talk. For years I had been giving myself out in words and it was with joy that I had followed the calling of theological teacher and of preacher, but with this new form of activity I wanted to put love into practice.
While studying medicine from 1905-1913, Albert Schweitzer also delivered theological lectures, gave organ concerts, wrote on organ building, completed his scholarly work, Quest for the Historical Jesus, wrote a 844 page German edition of his book on Bach (an earlier version had been written in French), married, preached almost every Sunday, and raised money to establish a hospital in French Equatorial Africa. In establishing a medical center in the heart of Africa, Albert Schweitzer subordinated careers as organist and organ builder, writer, professor, theologian, philosopher, and historian. He surrendered comfort and cultural pursuits to become a spiritual adventurer who, through action, saved and promoted life. He wrote of the joy service brings:
Those who are so favored as to be able to embark on a course of free personal activity must accept this good fortune in a spirit of humility. They must often think of those who, though willing and capable, were never in the position to do the same. And as a rule they must temper their own strong determination with humility. They are almost always destined to have to seek and wait till they find a road open for the activity they long for. Happy are those who are able to give of themselves really and completely!Affirmation of life is the spiritual act by which man begins to devote himself to his life with reverence in order to raise it to its highest level. At the same time the man who has become a thinking being feels a compulsion to give to others the same reference for life he gives his own. He accepts as being good: to preserve life, to promote life, to raise to its highest value life which is capable of development. A man is ethical only when life is sacred to him and when he devotes himself to all life that is in need of help.
Albert Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his commitment to serve humanity through thought and action.