Henry Norman Bethune was called many things, a doctor, a politician, a communist, a hero but above all “He was an idealist. He was a dreamer. He was a perfectionist.” A quote from Betty Cornell. (http://goo.gl/HvC76m ). Bethune was a great surgeon who saved many people's lives. He was also a hero in China. They called him Bai Qiuen; it means “White Seek Grace.” This was the closest pronouncing his name in Chinese. Dr. Norman Bethune was a substantial part of Canadian medical history, He invented many tools we still use today; a role model to doctors and communist; save many people's lives, in both First and Second World War. In 1914, during the first world war, Bethune signed up for the war to be a stretcher bearer, and he experiences the horrors of war. Bethune not only joined the First World War, he joined the Spanish War and the Second World War. During the Spanish War, many governments, including Canada’s, refused to become part of the Spanish Civil War, but many people disagreed with the policy, and Bethune was one of those people who disagreed to the policy. Instead, he went to Spain and helped the Spanish people; he went there for only one reason. He was a doctor. Instead of the patients coming to the doctors the doctors goes to the patients. Bethune was that kind of doctor. Even in World War 2, Bethune participated in the war. Bethune travelled to China which was being under attack by the Japanese. Despite the fact Bethune and the Chinese could understand each other; Bethune still saved many people's lives during the battle. He even did non-stop operating to 71 soldiers in a 40-hour period, sometimes he even had to do 115 surgeries in 69 hours. (http://www.lackenbauer.ca/Hist103/6-2_Bethfune.htm). Bethune had many paths he could have taken for his career, but he chose to become a doctor and surgeon. He followed his grandfather's footsteps, was a great doctor whom Bethune looked up to. He could have his father's footsteps but he did not. Bethune studied at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and got his Bachelor of Medicine in December 1916 but, in 1926 Bethune contacted tuberculosis but, during the 2 years he made a recovery and went back to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montréal in September 1928, and worked for eight years, devoting himself to helping other tuberculosis victims and to studying thoracic surgery, not only …show more content…
Norman Bethune is He is a substantial part in the wars and an important factor in both medical field and the Canadian history. “For all his life he cared for human beings, all his life he made sacrifices for other human beings.” a saying from Adrienne Clarkson (http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/norman-bethune/ ). Bethune works non-stop to save other people, he even works more than 69 hours on 115 surgeries during the Second World War. But despite the fact he was a communist he was yet to be remembered by the Canadian people. He is only remembered by very few Canadian but for the Chinese, he is remembered by thousands of people. If Bethune had followed in his father's footsteps, and not his grandfather, who would have invented the first mobile blood bank unit, who would have introduce universal health care, who would have help the Chinese who were under attack by the Japanese. Bethune is and will be a role model to doctors and