Schweitzer Fellowship Journal
Through the Eyes of a Schweitzer Fellow
David Fitter, MS 4
By David Fitter, MS 4
The Schweitzer Fellowship is a three month opportunity to work at the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon—a country about the size of Colorado situated along the west coast of central Africa. It offers a remarkable experience to practice medicine in a country where some of the problems are the same as the US, but where there is always an exciting mix of infectious disease and interesting people. Below are some excerpts that I wrote regarding my experiences.
August 29, 2007
I’m sure that everyone thinks things must be different in Africa,
but I’ve come to learn some new rules of the road. Here are just a few:
- When an officer brings a patient into the outpatient clinic to get tested for syphilis, the officer will feel free to let the patient go retrieve the blood test on his own and expect him to return back to the exam room without a problem. I found this shocking, but apparently the patient deemed it better to return to the exam room than to make a run for the Congo.
- When asking if anyone in the family suffers from medical conditions, be sure to clarify what you mean. Many patients think “family” means the extended family, which is their village, friends, and anyone of the same ethnic group. While it’s wonderful to know that they consider all of these people close enough to call family, it sort of defeats the purpose of the question.
Village Health Clinic in Gabon
September 23, 2007
More than occasionally and a little less than frequently, we see elderly patients who don’t know when they were born. On their medical records, we simply note “third age”—I’m not really sure where this begins, but I’m going to go with about 60.
- I just started doing consults on my own when a woman presented with what was clearly a CHF exacerbation. The poor woman hadn’t been able to lie down to sleep at night for more than a week, had bad lower leg pitting edema, and was having difficulty walking more than five meters. I presented her to one of the doctors and we admitted her to the hospital. The following morning during rounds the doctors were laughing because the evening before the woman kept asking, “Where’s Dr. David, where’s my son? He saved me!” Thanks, Lasix.
- One of my favorite patients currently on the in-service doesn’t really speak French, has pretty bad cataracts, and spends a good part of her day sitting on the edge of her bed watching the world go by. One day during evening rounds, I was standing at the head of her bed listening to one of the doctors speak with the woman’s daughter, and she looked up at me, patted the bed next to her, and said something that I completely didn’t understand. Her daughter started to laugh and translated, “She says you look tired and need to sit down.” I sat next to her, and she said, “C’est bon, mon fils”—“That’s good, my son”—and patted my arm.
November 1, 2007
As I get ready to say goodbye to Gabon, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the people who have made my stay here so interesting.
The ER Lady:
I was walking past the emergency department (that’s being a little too generous, there are really only two rooms) when I heard some screaming coming from inside. Of course I had to go see what was happening. I walked in and there was a male nurse holding a woman in a bear hug, and she was not making it easy. Someone said, “Give her 10mg of haldol” (interesting development). She quickly calmed down and proceeded to walk out of the ER and out of the building. Huh? I believe the look on my face got me my explanation—“Oh, David, she comes in once a month for her shot. She might have been a little late this month.”
The nurses at the hospital:
Nurse: “David, you’re leaving soon. We’ll miss you.”
Me: “Oh, that’s nice. I’ll miss you, too.”
Nurse: “It’s hard for us. You students come for three months, we become friends, and then you leave.”
Me: “I’m sorry. But you all have been so nice and welcoming.”
Nurse: “Can I have your umbrella?”
Me: “Uhh…I guess.”
Nurse: “Can I have it now?”
Me: “Well, I’m sort of still using it.”
Nurse: “Ok, but make sure to get it to me before you leave.” (Side note: the nurses are great and fun to work with.)
The Americans—We were some of the strangest characters of all:
David: “What do you think would hurt more if it fell from a tree and hit you, a mango, a coconut, or a palm branch?”
Merridith: “Least to worst is definitely mango, palm branch, coconut.”
David: “I agree with the coconut. That’s a concussion waiting to happen. But I believe that a palm branch, while it might knock you off your feet, will not hurt as much as a mango.”
Kevin: “I’m going with David. Mangos look like they could hurt. And palm fronds are soft.”
Merridith: “Are you kidding me!?! The tips of those things could gouge you. You guys don’t know what you’re talking about.”
David: “We should see what the Germans think.”
Me—Walking in the Independence Day Parade
