Henry Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was a unique Canadian. He was also a teacher, and a tireless and inventive surgeon. His medical advances and techniques saved many lives. He gave his time and his talents in an effort to bring healing into a suffering world. For the thousands of people he served in Canada, the United States, Span and China, Norman Bethune has been a shining example of the Canadian spirit.
             Norman Bethune married Frances Penny, a young Scottish woman in 1923. After completing studies in Europe, Bethune and Frances moved to Detroit where Bethune set up his medical Practice. Between 1929 and 1936, Dr. Bethune invented over a dozen medical and surgical instruments in Montreal. He also advocated socialized medicine and formed the Montreal Group for the Security of People's Health to provide proper health care to those who needed it most. Bethune was a complex, volatile man. His interests were not only medical and political, but also literary and artistic. He created a free art school for children in Montreal.
             Bethune left Canada to serve as a doctor in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. In Madrid, he did pioneering work with blood transfusions and set up the world's first mobile medical unit. On January 2, 1938, not knowing that it would be the last time he saw Canada, Bethune went to China to aid the Chinese people who were under attack by the Japanese. He died on November 12, 1939 at Huang Shiko, China. Dr. Bethune set an example of personal sacrifice and commitment which made a permanent impression on China.
             Today, the Canadian government created Bethune Memorial House in Gravenhurst, Ontario where Bethune was born. In China, next to his tomb, people also built a museum dedicated to him. Norman Bethune dedicated his life to the service of others. His efforts as a humanitarian during times of war in Spain and China have earned him hero status. Bethune's life and actions have had a tremendous impact all over the world.
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