Dr. Norman Bethune

Norman Bethune
Dr. Norman Bethune (1916)
Born	Henry Norman Bethune March 4, 1890 Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Died	November 12, 1939(1939-11-12) (aged 49) Tang County, Hebei, China
Nationality	Canadian
Education	University of Toronto
Known for	Developing mobile medical units, surgical instruments and a method for transporting blood for transfusions.
Medical career
Profession	Physician, Surgeon
Institutions	Royal Victoria Hospital (affiliated with McGill University)

Henry Norman Bethune /ˈbɛθˌjuːn/ (March 4, 1890 – November 12, 1939; Chinese: 白求恩; pinyin: Bái Qiú'ēn) was a Canadian physician, medical innovator, and noted anti-fascist. Bethune came to international prominence first for his service as a frontline surgeon supporting the democratically elected Republican government during the Spanish Civil War. But it was his service with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War that would earn him enduring acclaim. Dr. Bethune effectively brought modern medicine to rural China and often treated sick villagers as much as wounded soldiers. His selfless commitment made a profound impression on the Chinese people, especially CPC's leader, Mao Zedong. The chairman wrote a famous eulogy to him, which was memorized by generations of Chinese people.

While Bethune was the man responsible for developing a mobile blood-transfusion service for frontline operations in the Spanish Civil War, he himself died of blood poisoning.

A prominent Communist and veteran of the First World War, he wrote that wars were motivated by profits, not principles. Statues in his honor can be found in cities throughout China.

Dr. Norman Bethune came from a prominent Scottish Canadian family. His great-great-grandfather, the Reverend Doctor John Bethune (1751–1815), the family patriarch, established the first Presbyterian congregation in Montreal, the first five Presbyterian churches in Ontario and was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church of Canada.