Norman Bethune
Norman Bethune | |||||||
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Bethune in 1916 | |||||||
| Born | Henry Norman Bethune March 4, 1890 Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada | ||||||
| Died | November 12, 1939 (aged 49) Tang County, Hebei, China | ||||||
| Education | University of Toronto | ||||||
| Occupations | Physician, surgeon | ||||||
| Employer(s) | Royal Victoria Hospital, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal | ||||||
| Known for | Developing mobile medical units, surgical instruments and a method for transporting blood for transfusions | ||||||
| Political party | Communist Party of Canada | ||||||
| Awards | Canadian Medical Hall of Fame | ||||||
| Military career | |||||||
| Branch | Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (1914-1915) Spanish Republican Army (1936-1937) National Revolutionary Army (1938-1939) | ||||||
| Service years | 1914 - 1915 1936 - 1937 1938 - 1939 | ||||||
| Unit | No. 2 Field Ambulance (1914-1915) Canadian Blood Transfusion Unit (1936-1937) Eighth Route Army (1938-1939) | ||||||
| Conflicts | World War I
Spanish Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 白求恩 | ||||||
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| Transcription of full name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 亨利·諾爾曼·白求恩 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 亨利·诺尔曼·白求恩 | ||||||
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Henry Norman Bethune (/ˈbɛθ.juːn/; March 4, 1890 – November 12, 1939; Chinese: 白求恩) was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, early advocate of socialized medicine, and member of the Communist Party of Canada. Bethune came to international prominence first for his service as a frontline trauma surgeon supporting the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War, and later supporting the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Bethune helped bring modern medicine to rural China, treating both sick villagers and wounded soldiers.
Bethune's service to the CCP earned him the respect of Mao Zedong, who wrote a eulogy dedicated to Bethune when he died in 1939. His name is honored in China to this day.