“Schweitzers Lambarene” by Hines Mabika, Hubert Steinke, and Tizian Zumthurm describes the many facets of the history of the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Lambaréné, Gabon (West Africa), from its founding in 1913 until the death of its founder, Albert Schweitzer, in 1965. The book focuses on the hospital’s medical services, addresses life and activities at the hospital beyond the purely medical realm, and describes the extensive network of support Schweitzer built up in both Europe and the United States. It sets out to capture the hospital in its entirety while aiming to do so critically.
“In this, it certainly succeeds,” writes Max Hufschmidt (Basel) in his review. He provides an overview of the book's structure and themes and takes up the question raised by the authors, to what extent the hospital in Lambaréné and Schweitzer’s work must be seen as colonial. Furthermore, he discusses the attempt to restore the agency of Gabonese staff and patients in the history of the hospital, and also points out omissions, before finally concluding: “The picture this book paints of the hospital, Schweitzer, the patients, and the staff is meticulously detailed and multifaceted, allowing for a more complex yet critical appreciation of the institution than has previously been possible.”
Read the whole review on infoclio.ch and HSozKult and the whole book in the Wallstein open library!
Hufschmidt, Max Hufschmidt: Rezension zu: Mabika, Hines; Steinke, Hubert; Zumthurm, Tizian: Schweitzers Lambarene. Ein globales Spital im kolonialen Afrika. Göttingen 2024, in: infoclio.ch, 24.07.2025, <https://www.infoclio.ch/de/rez?rid=152630>
