Albert Schweitzer: A patient with writer’s cramp

Abstract Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) the world-famous philosopher, theologian, concert organist, musicologist, philanthropist and winner of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize suffered throughout most of his life from severe and painful muscle cramps in his right upper extremity which were triggered exclusively by handwriting. They led to tonic finger flexion and wrist extension and produced slow and clumsy handwriting of a reduced character size. Other motor functions including Schweitzer’s highly skilful and famous organ playing were not affected. Inheritance from his mother is likely. Schweitzer applied several coping strategies including a specific holding pattern for pens, usage of special pens, avoidance of handwriting and slowing of handwriting. With all these features Schweitzer presents as a classical case of action-specific dystonia in the form of a simple tonic writer’s cramp. Interestingly, Schweitzer never received a medical diagnosis, although writer’s cramp had already been identified and described as a medical condition. Impairment of his handwriting but not his organ playing may give insight into the multifactorial aetiology of writer’s cramp.