Norman Bethune
PLA Daily 2005-07-26 | Updated: 2010-09-28 17:15
Norman Bethune is an internationalist soldier, member of the Canadian Communist Party and a well-known thoracic surgeon. In 1938 he arrived in China with medical supplies and worked with the Eighth Route Army, under the leadership of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China.
He set up a mobile hospital and operated on soldiers close to the battlefield. His work helped save the lives of thousands and impacted China's struggle against the invading Japanese army.
In late 1939, aged 49, he died of blood poisoning in Tangxian's Huangshikou Village after pricking his finger with a needle during surgery.
In December 1939, Mao wrote an article "In Memory of Norman Bethune," as a tribute to the doctor, and calling on the Chinese people to learn from his example.
