Dr. Norman Bethune

[Comrade Phil]

Dr. Norman Bethune led a truly inspirational life. He made significant advancements in thoracic surgury, blood transfusions, and emergency medicine. He was a member of the Canadian Communist Party who gallantly fought against fascism in both Spain and China through humanitarian efforts. He was also one of the earliest advocates of a socialised health care system in Canada. I figured I'd share some information on him as he is not particularily well known and is one of my personal "heroes".

Biography -

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/bethune/natcul/natcul1_E.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune

Mao Tse-tung's article about Comrade Bethune's efforts to help the Chinese liberation movement-

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/...-2/mswv2_25.htm (http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_25.htm)

Biographical Video Clips from CBC -

http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-74-1345/people/bethune/

Bethune Institute for Anti-Facsist Studies, brief selection of his writings -

http://bethuneinstitute.org/index2.html

[RedStarOverChina]

A true internationalist fighter.

He holds a place in my mind that is equilevent to Che Guevara.

[Janus]

He was a famous hero in China during Mao's reign and recently became famous again due to the SARS outbreak.

[Comrade Phil]

Originally posted by [email protected] 15, 2007 12:56 am
He was a famous hero in China during Mao's reign and recently became famous again due to the SARS outbreak.
Really, I don't remember any mention of him during the SARS outbreak. In what ways was his story publicized?

[Janus]

The PRC government evoked his name during the SARS outbreak in order to laud and inspire the doctors and people who combatting it. For example, many medical volunteers were referred to as "Bethunes" and were praised for carrying forward his spirity and dedication.