Invincible Summer
27th April 2010, 05:26
An oft-forgotten comrade:
http://www.lackenbauer.ca/Hist103/pics/bethune.jpg
Wiki Page on Norman Bethune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune)
Bethune was an early proponent of socialized medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care) and formed the Montreal Group for the Security of People's Health. In 1935 Bethune travelled to the Soviet Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union) to observe first hand their system of health care. During this year he became a committed communist and joined the Communist Party of Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Canada). He at first was not convinced communism was the answer to the world's problems, and refused when at first offered to be leader of the Communist Party of Canada. But when the Spanish Civil War began, he was ready to throw in his lot with the communists
...
The next year, 1936, the Spanish Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War) broke out. Bethune accepted an invitation from the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy to head the Canadian Medical Unit in Madrid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid). He joined the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackenzie-Papineau_Battalion) which was composed of Canadian communists and other leftists and set off for Madrid on November 3, 1936.
...
In 1938 Bethune travelled to Yan'an (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan%27an) in the Shanbei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanbei) region of Shaanxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaanxi) province in China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China). There he joined the Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong) in their struggle against Kuomintang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang). The Lebanese-American doctor George Hatem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Haide_%28George_Hatem%29) who had come to Yan'an earlier was instrumental in helping Bethune get started at his task of organizing medical services for the front and the region.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-7)
In China, Bethune performed emergency battlefield surgical operations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_medicine) on war casualties and established training for doctors, nurses and orderlies.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-8) He did not distinguish between casualties, treating wounded Japanese prisoners as well as Chinese.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-9)[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-10)
In the summer of 1939 Bethune was appointed the Medical Advisor to the Jin-Zha-Ji (Shanxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanxi)-Chahar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chahar)-Hebei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebei)) Border Region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaan-Gan-Ning) Military District, under the direction of General Nie Rongzhen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nie_Rongzhen).[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-11)
Bethune died on November 12, 1939, of blood poisoning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_poisoning) from a cut he received when performing surgery, while with the Communist Party of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_China)'s Eighth Route Army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Route_Army) in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
...
Virtually unknown in his homeland during his lifetime, Bethune received international recognition when Chairman Mao Zedong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong) of the People's Republic of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China) published his essay entitled In Memory of Norman Bethune (in Chinese: 紀念白求恩)[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-12), which documented the final months of the doctor's life in China. Almost the entire Chinese population knew about the essay which had become required reading in China's elementary schools during China's Cultural Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) (1966–76).[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-13) Mao concluded in that essay: "We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit everyone can be very helpful to each other. A person's ability may be great or small, but if he/she has this spirit, he/she is already noble-minded and pure, a person of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a person who is of value to the people."
Bethune is one of the few Westerners to whom China has dedicated statues, of which many in his honour have been erected throughout the country. He is buried in the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Shijiazhuang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shijiazhuang), Hebei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebei) Province, China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China),
I think it's pretty tragic how he's hardly even mentioned here in Canada. His dedication to serving the people - regardless of political ideology - is in itself worthy of praise.
http://www.lackenbauer.ca/Hist103/pics/bethune.jpg
Wiki Page on Norman Bethune (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune)
Bethune was an early proponent of socialized medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care) and formed the Montreal Group for the Security of People's Health. In 1935 Bethune travelled to the Soviet Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union) to observe first hand their system of health care. During this year he became a committed communist and joined the Communist Party of Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Canada). He at first was not convinced communism was the answer to the world's problems, and refused when at first offered to be leader of the Communist Party of Canada. But when the Spanish Civil War began, he was ready to throw in his lot with the communists
...
The next year, 1936, the Spanish Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War) broke out. Bethune accepted an invitation from the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy to head the Canadian Medical Unit in Madrid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid). He joined the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackenzie-Papineau_Battalion) which was composed of Canadian communists and other leftists and set off for Madrid on November 3, 1936.
...
In 1938 Bethune travelled to Yan'an (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan%27an) in the Shanbei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanbei) region of Shaanxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaanxi) province in China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China). There he joined the Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong) in their struggle against Kuomintang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang). The Lebanese-American doctor George Hatem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Haide_%28George_Hatem%29) who had come to Yan'an earlier was instrumental in helping Bethune get started at his task of organizing medical services for the front and the region.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-7)
In China, Bethune performed emergency battlefield surgical operations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_medicine) on war casualties and established training for doctors, nurses and orderlies.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-8) He did not distinguish between casualties, treating wounded Japanese prisoners as well as Chinese.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-9)[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-10)
In the summer of 1939 Bethune was appointed the Medical Advisor to the Jin-Zha-Ji (Shanxi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanxi)-Chahar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chahar)-Hebei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebei)) Border Region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaan-Gan-Ning) Military District, under the direction of General Nie Rongzhen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nie_Rongzhen).[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-11)
Bethune died on November 12, 1939, of blood poisoning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_poisoning) from a cut he received when performing surgery, while with the Communist Party of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_China)'s Eighth Route Army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Route_Army) in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
...
Virtually unknown in his homeland during his lifetime, Bethune received international recognition when Chairman Mao Zedong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong) of the People's Republic of China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China) published his essay entitled In Memory of Norman Bethune (in Chinese: 紀念白求恩)[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-12), which documented the final months of the doctor's life in China. Almost the entire Chinese population knew about the essay which had become required reading in China's elementary schools during China's Cultural Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) (1966–76).[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune#cite_note-13) Mao concluded in that essay: "We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit everyone can be very helpful to each other. A person's ability may be great or small, but if he/she has this spirit, he/she is already noble-minded and pure, a person of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a person who is of value to the people."
Bethune is one of the few Westerners to whom China has dedicated statues, of which many in his honour have been erected throughout the country. He is buried in the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Shijiazhuang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shijiazhuang), Hebei (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebei) Province, China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China),
I think it's pretty tragic how he's hardly even mentioned here in Canada. His dedication to serving the people - regardless of political ideology - is in itself worthy of praise.