As a Doctor in Asia, Africa and Europe

Dr. Kurt Bergter, born in 1921, writes about his personal experiences as a doctor working in clinics on several continents - for example, between 1956-1958 his work took him to a missionary in India. His style of writing is fresh, witty and entertaining. His long-term involvement in underprivileged areas has taught him one thing above all: prevention is far more effective than any subsequent ‘patching up’ of impaired health. In his autobiography Bergter describes the stations of his work in Germany, India, Africa and Iran. Living under widely-ranging circumstances, demands and cultural differences have afforded him many valuable insights: primarily that Western society, with its economic prowess and ‘health-systems’, can no longer provide a satisfying foundation for his work. As a former missionary doctor Dr. Bergter is a devout Christian. However, with his open-minded, undogmatic approach he acknowledges the ways that pranayama-yoga and meditation can provide sustenance to body and soul and strives to integrate these practises within his daily life. This book is the biography of an idealist. Describing the facts in a dry and humorous way, Dr. Bergter has produced a good read that keeps the reader looking beyond the conclusions he drew. The annotated photographs at the end of the book provide colourful insight into his life in different parts of the world.