I was in my early teens when I was introduced to the inspiring mission work of Albert Schweitzer, MD (1875-1965). I had discovered Norman Cousins’ riveting biography, Dr. Schweitzer of Lambaréné (1960). I remember reading the book with great excitement, fascinated by the brilliant and dedicated German physician and polymath who cared for people in a remote African village, playing J. S. Bach on his piano during his breaks from clinical work. He was not only a gifted physician and healer, but also a skilled organist and musicologist, as well as a theologian and writer. Schweitzer’s gifts of genius could have easily led him to a distinguished academic career in a university setting. However, he chose a different path, that of a medical missionary, a selfless calling of service to those underserved. The talented and prolific author Cousins once asserted, “The greatness of Schweitzer rests not just on what he has done but on what others have done because of him.” His life certainly inspired me!
At that time, I related to my father my enthusiasm for Schweitzer, declaring that I wanted to become a medical missionary and like him, go to Gabon or the Congo to serve the people there. My physician-father smiled at me and told me, “Go to Bolton instead. If you want to serve people as a medical missionary, there is just as much need here in Mississippi as there is in Africa.” He picked a rural town less than 20 miles from our home in Jackson, stressing even more that mission work for the needy can occur not far from our own front doors.
Although I did not go to rural Hinds County to serve as a medical missionary, I did go to rural Southwest Mississippi which had a similar need for medical care. Forty-five years later, my father’s advice remains sound. Like many other physicians in our state, my calling to be a medical missionary is best fulfilled close to home and here in my home state.
Medicine remains a calling to serve others. Schweitzer’s philosophical vision focused on what he termed “Reverence for Life.” From humans to elephants to blades of grass, all are brothers and sisters, Schweitzer preached, echoing Leonardo da Vinci’s famous advice: “Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” We as humans owe all living things the same care and respect that we desire for ourselves. For Mississippi’s physicians, such service to others and reverence for life can easily be done close to home!
Contact me at drluciuslampton@gmail.com. — Lucius M. Lampton, MD, Editor