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A young nurse named Trudi had been placed by Schweitzer in charge of the leprosy patients, who until then had been somewhat neglected. There were no drugs available for leprosy at that time, and the other patients feared them. So, to some extent, did the medical staff, so they were simply given somewhere very basic to live, since their villages would not take them. They were, however, asked to work on the hospital in any way that their disabilities allowed.
Trudi took them under her wing and fought for them. One day a patient who had a secondary infection and was very sick was sent for, without Trudi’s consent, to help with building, since he had special skills. Trudi was outraged and went and confronted Schweitzer, yelling at him in front of everyone – something that was unheard of. The staff were shocked at such boldness. But she got the patient back.
That evening she felt very ashamed of herself and decided she couldn’t
face everyone at the evening meal, so stayed in her room. She heard the
unmistakable tread of Schweitzer, who asked to come in. When she let him
in, he merely said “Let’s be friends.” And he led her to
the dining room and they walked in together, to the astonishment of the
rest of the staff, and they both sat down as though nothing had happened.
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