Medical school remembers Canadian doctor who served in China during war
The Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has opened an exhibition dedicated to Dr Henry Norman Bethune.
A Canadian doctor who spent his life in China has been included in the teaching curriculum of a local medical school.
It is the 85th anniversary of Dr Henry Norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon, inventor, and political activist who left home in 1938 to join the Chinese army's fight against Japan, saving lives, building field hospitals, and establishing medical schools.
His untimely death from septicemia in 1939 inspired Chairman Mao Zedong's article "In Memory of Norman Bethune," in which he urged everyone to learn the spirit of internationalism, feeling of responsibility, and dedication to others from him.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine organized a photo exhibition of Dr Bethune and encouraged medical students to learn from his spirit and dedication to medical care.
This innovative thoracic surgeon not only inspired trainees with his commitment to patients but also made substantial advances in the discipline by inventing or redesigning surgical instruments. He set up the first mobile blood transfusion service.
The medical school said it would organize free medical consultations and services at places where Dr Bethune served.
Chairman Mao Zedong's inscription urged people to learn from Dr Norman Bethune.
