Dr. Henry Norman Bethune (* 1890, "† 1939) was a Canadian physician and internationalist, who were prominent in the operational treatment of Tuberkulose and in the Spanish civil war (1936-1937) as well as in the republic China (1938-1939) as a surgeon was active. It died at blood poisoning in the second anti-Japanese war on the side of the communists.

Life

Bethune originates from Gravenhurst in the Canadian province Ontario. After activity of many years as a lung surgeon he decided to assist itself 1936 of the Spanish republic in their fight against the Putschisten under Franco.

Physician in Spain

In Spain it initiated the structure of a blood transfusion service at foremost front, which flexibly followed the combat happening, an innovation in the history of the military Similar services were inserted among other things since the Korea war until 1997 by the USA under the designation mobile Army Surgical hospital. The new form of the wounding supply led to innovations within the range blood transport.

On 6 June 1937 Bethune from Spain left and arrived on 18 June in Montreal, Canada. The following seven months tourte it in the context of a solidarity campaign by the USA and Canada. Worried of messages over intensified attacks of Japan on Chinese territory, the beginning of the second Japanese-Chinese war, he decided to assist Chinese communist armed forces, to which he pushed at the end of of February 1938.

Physician in China

The Chinese was in much worse condition than the Spanish. It was missing at material and specialists, wounded not at the front but according to often meet-long transportation in the hinterland of physicians was only treated. Bethune began to arrange the medical service again to create possibilities for the training and carried out over-human with the mobile surgical field hospitals initiated by it. For the mechanism of a Transfusionsdienstes the means were not sufficient by far and/or were because of the blockade not to be gotten. With an operation it tightened itself due to a cut a blood poisoning, at whose consequences it deceased on 12 November 1939 in the village Huangshikou (Tangxian County, province Hebei).

Its work and his untiring employment made deep impression in China, particularly with Mao Zedong. Later Mao published the essay in memory of Norman Bethune (Chinese original title: Jinian bay Qiu'en), which had the time Bethunes in China to the topic. At least in the time Maos was far common the writing. Mao wrote in the preface: As a selbstloser internationalist doctor Bethune is a model for each humans.

Literature

• Ted Allan, Sydney Gordon, physician on three continents, publishing house people and world, 1954, ISBN B-0000-BFRC-T

Related links

• German-language Kurzbiografie
• Bethune Memorial House national Historic Site
• Poster of Bethune

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