Norman Bethune

Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, early advocate of socialized medicine and member of the Communist Party of Canada, who came to international prominence first for his service as a frontline trauma surgeon supporting the Republican faction during the Spanish Civil War, and later for his work supporting the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Bethune helped bring modern medicine to rural China and often treated sick villagers as much as wounded soldiers. His service to the CPC earned him the respect of Mao Zedong, who wrote a eulogy dedicated to Bethune when he died in 1939, as well as continued gratitude and honoring in the People's Republic of China to this day.