Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965) was a French theologian, musician, writer, philosopher and physician. In 1913 he and his wife Helene went to French Equatorial Africa, present-day Gabon, where they established a hospital. Schweitzer spent much of the rest of his life in Africa, and in 1952 earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. In On the Edge of the Primeval Forest Schweitzer tells the story of his experiences from 1913 to 1916 at the hospital in Lambarene on the Ogooue river. He describes how he and his wife fought diseases like sleeping sickness, malaria and leprosy while dealing with the challenges of army ants, snakes, spiders and the primeval forest itself. There are chapters about the history and climate of the region, the customs of the native people, the local timber trade and relations between colonial whites and Africans. The book ends with a summary of Schweitzer’s humanitarian vision and a call for others to join him in providing medical help to the suffering poor throughout the world. Published by Fontana in 1956. A clean reading copy.