[The last days of Albert Schweitzer]

Schweitzer was one of the leading physicians of the last century. He overcame not only the boundaries of humanities and natural sciences, but also the boundaries of Europe and Africa. He has become a symbol of humanity. But the person of Albert Schweitzer was almost in danger of disappearing behind it. "My hair starts to turn gray. My body begins to feel the exertions I have undertaken, and the burden of the years". This is how the 56-year-old Schweitzer ended his autobiography "Out of my life and thought" in 1931. Even 50 years after Schweitzer's death in 1965, there is still no coherent scientific reappraisal of his work. Part of the posthumous manuscripts was published in recent years in a critical edition, including first biographies that are no longer considered as hagiography, as they would have been in the contemporary literature. The legacy, however, is scattered. Much of the correspondence and the library are located in Schweitzer's former house in Gunsbach in Alsace. The manuscripts are mainly stored in the Central Library Zurich, but also in the Syracuse University New York, while the personal bequest is in the hands of his family or collectors. This presentation is part of a biographical approach and depicts the last weeks in the life of Albert Schweitzer.