Ineradicable Memory:In Memoriam of Dr.Norman Bethune and the Medical Aid Team to China

THIS year marks the 70th an- niversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. It also commemorates the 125th anniversary of the birth of Norman Bethune， legendary international physician and communist， and the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and Canada. For the last seven decades， the image of Dr. Bethune， the internationally renowned thoracic surgeon who operated while wearing straw sandals and the white battlefield medical officers apron of the Eighth Route Army， has been deeply engraved on the hearts of the Chinese people. He selflessly adopted the cause of the Chinese peoples liberation as his own， and exerted unremitting efforts in achieving this end. Never will the Chinese people forget him， or his dedication and sacrifice.

Requiem Aeternum in Chinese Soil

Henry Norman Bethune was born in Gravenhurst， Ontario， Canada on March 3， 1890. He enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1909. At the breakout of World War I he enlisted in the Canadian Army， serving as a stretcher-bearer. During one of the battles at Ypres in northern Belgium， a shard of German shrapnel struck him in his left leg， almost killing him. After this incident， he left the front line and returned to the University of Toronto to complete his studies， and graduated with a medical degree. He then took up his practice in Detroit， Michigan， U.S. for some years， during which time he invented over 30 types of surgical instruments that today bear his name. He gained three doctoral degrees in medicine， and his sophisticated medical skills and numerous inventions made him an internationally known thoracic expert， and one of the four most famous doctors in North America.

In November 1935 Bethune joined the Communist Party of Canada. This was a major turning point in his life. In October 1936， when he rallied to the aid of the Spanish in their struggle against fascism， he organized the worlds first mobile blood transfusion unit in Madrid. This enabled immediate administration of blood transfusions to wounded soldiers just behind front lines， and was a pioneering contribution to the worlds field surgery.

Having taken up arms against the fascist foe， Bethune found no shortage of battlefields among which to pick and choose. Although Spain and China were both campaigns to fight fascism， Bethune deemed China to have the greater need for his aid. Accordingly， after the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression erupted， he contacted the Committee on International Aid to China and decided to head the Canadian-American Medical Aid Team to China.

Historical materials show that during his time in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area， Bethune never hesitated to respond to the rattle of gunfire at the front. Altogether， he engaged in relief work in 11 battles， operated on 1，290 wounded soldiers and 10 Japanese prisoners， and treated tens of thousands of other soldiers and civilians in the base area. His introduction of advanced Western medical science and technology ameliorated health and medical conditions in Chinas anti-Japanese aggression base， Bethune also initiated and established the Model Hospital of the Eighth Route Army（namely the Rear Hospital of ShanxiChahar-Hebei Military Region）， and set up the Hospital for Special Surgery for civilians based on his past experiences and the lessons he gleaned from them. He moreover helped establish the Volunteer Blood Transfusion Team. Bethune aided the founding of the ShanxiChahar-Hebei Military Region Medical School， lectured to students， and wrote many course materials， such as Initial Procedures for Treating Wounds， Amputation Techniques， Techniques for Excising Necrotic Bone Tissue， and the Handbook on the Organization of and Technologies for Battlefield Hospitals in Guerrilla Warfare that enabled adaptation to the special conditions of asymmetrical warfare. In short， Bethune contributed to an extraordinary degree to the development of the medical and health care cause in the anti-Japanese aggression base.

In the last third of October， 1939， 20，000 Japanese troops stationed in North China deployed to launch a ferocious attack on the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area， supported by planes and col- umns of cannons and armored vehicles.

On the evening of October 27， during his inspection tour in rear-area hospitals， Bethune received word that 40 soldiers wounded in the Motianling Battle were being transported to the rear. In order to ensure their speedy treatment， Bethune immediately decided to take charge of a makeshift medical team deployed to the front line.

His team met the liaison staff for frontline troops in Sunjia Village， Wangan Town， Laiyuan County， a mere three kilometers from a Japanese army base. The village offered no suitable operating space， so they resorted to a small temple outside the village， which they turned into an extemporized operating theater. One after another， the wounded were brought into this impromptu operating room， underwent their surgical procedures， and were then relayed to the rear. By ill luck， Bethune accidentally slit his finger with a bone chisel during one operation， and this started to inflame on his way back to the hospital. Rather than attending to this gash， he continued with his rescue work. Several days later， as he was operating on a patient with erysipelas of the neck and cellulitis of the head， this wound became fatally infected.

November 7， 1939 witnessed the second anniversary of the founding of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area， and the famous Hangtuling Battle had also broken out on that same day. Although by this time he was seriously ill， Bethune insisted on leading his medical team to the frontline. Due to a delay in treatment and a lack of adequate antibacterial medications， his septicemia worsened. Even so， the dying doctor was still very much concerned with his work and patients， “The soldiers bleeding at the front are my chief concern. I would elect to stay with them even to the extremity of my breath and strength， but Im not even able to stand up.”

Bethune died in Huangshikou Village， Tangxian County， Hebei Province on the morning of November 12， 1939， his life tragically cut short before the age of 50.

The good doctor now rests in the eternal embrace of the soil of his beloved adopted land.

On December 21， 1939， Mao Zedong published his famous essay In Memory of Norman Bethune， in which he offered a summary of and eulogy to Bethunes spirit. “No one who returned from the front failed to express admiration for Bethune whenever his name was mentioned， and no one remained unmoved by his spirit. In the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area， no soldier or civilian who Dr. Bethune treated， or who had seen how he worked remained unaffected.”

“Everyone envies me my opportunity”

Norman Bethune， Jean Ewen – a Canadian nurse – and Falade， an American doctor established the CanadianAmerican Medical Aid Team to China. Falade backed out， however， and another American doctor， Parsons， took his place at departure. By the end of January， 1938， the team had traveled to Hankou via Hong Kong and there made contact with Zhou Enlai， then working at the Wuhan office of the Eighth Route Army. Bethune and Ewen volunteered to go to Yanan， while Parsons insisted on remaining in Wuhan， so their paths diverged at this juncture. After the separation， Bethune retained the name Canadian-American Medical Aid Team to China， with the obvious purpose of gaining as much support as possible from both Canada and the U.S.

At the end of March， 1938， Bethune and Ewen reached Yanan after a long and arduous journey. Soon after arriving they met Richard Brown， who shared their faith and vision， and who had ar- rived in Yanan just afterwards.

Brown was born in the U.K. in December 1898， and moved to Canada with his parents at age 11. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a doctoral degree in medicine in 1928. Two years later， he came to China at the invitation of the Henan Anglican Church to work at St. Pauls Hospital – first built in Kaifeng， Henan and later moved to Shangqiu， Henan with a donation from St. Pauls Cathedral in Toronto. This hospital offered the highest-level medical skills in eastern Henan Province at that time. Before coming to China， Brown especially furthered his study in ophthalmology， and thus became the first specialist to operate on cataracts in central China. He learned， moreover， to speak fluent Chinese in Henan in a relatively short time.

In February 1938， while applying for a visa extension in Wuhan， Brown learned that Bethune and Ewen had just left Wuhan， bound for Yanan. He lost no time in returning to Shangqiu， where he decided to head for Yanan in order to contribute to the Chinese peoples struggle against Japanese aggression during his three-month vacation.

On April 6， Brown left St. Pauls Hospital in Shangqiu for Xian， where he drew medicaments and medical instruments from the International Red Cross， before making his way on up to Yanan. He wrote in a letter to his wife， “Everyone envies me my opportunity. Im so thrilled and excited！”

Brown arrived in Yanan on April 17. When he met up with Bethune and Ewen， it was as if the three Canadians had been lifelong pals. Brown unhesitatingly joined their medical team， and together they proceeded to the frontline in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.

Brown thereafter went to Hankou， where he called for the Red Cross to set up an International Peace Hospital in Liaoxian County （now Zuoquan County） in southeastern Shanxi Province. He also traveled to Shanghai and Hong Kong to raise money to buy drugs and medical instruments for the Eighth Route Army. In February 1945 Brown gave speeches aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation， calling for medical support and aid for the Eighth Route Army. In a 1963 letter replying to a query by famous film director John Kenny about Bethunes stories in China， Brown expressed his deep respect and love for the Chinese people. In September that same year， Brown died of illness in Vancouver.

A Graveside Companion

The historical record attests that Ewen and Brown were both international communists who actively devoted themselves to the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Unlike Bethune， however， their heroism went unsung. As Ewen recalled， Mao Zedong met Bethune twice， holding long talks with him on both occasions. Ewen and Brown were both present at these meetings. On one occasion， Bethune dispatched Ewen to Xian to buy medicine. When she returned， Bethune and Brown had already left Yanan for Wutai County， Shanxi Province where the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei military command was stationed. After this， the Canadian-American Medical Aid Team to China had only two members： Bethune and Brown. Ewen went to work for the 120th Division in northwestern Shanxi， and then the rear area hospital of the New Fourth Army. She never saw Bethune again.

Jean Ewen returned to Canada via Shanghai in June 1939. In August 1976， she traveled far to attend the opening ceremony of the Bethune Memorial House in Gravenhurst. In May 1985， the 74-yearold Ewen visited Beijing， accompanied by her daughter. She passed away the following year. In accordance with her late mothers will， Ewens daughter carried her ashes to China and interred them close to Bethunes grave in the Shanxi-ChaharHebei Martyrs Cemetery in Tangxian County， Hebei Province.