Bethune, Henry Norman National Historic Person
Gravenhurst, Ontario
Canadian Blood Transfusion Unit (1936-38)
© Bibliothèque et Archives Canada | Library and Archives Canada / PA-117423
Address :
235 John Street North, Gravenhurst, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1972-08-10
Life Date:
1890 to 1939
Other Name(s):
-
Henry Norman Bethune
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Internationally renown physician and social activist
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 235 John Street North, Gravenhurst, Ontario
This great Canadian achieved international renown as a physician and social activist. He made significant contributions to thoracic surgery in Canada and was an early advocate of socialized medicine. Embracing communism, in 1936–1937 he led a Canadian team which pioneered the use of front line blood transfusions to republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. Bethune subsequently served as a battlefield surgeon and medical advisor to Mao Zedong’s 8th Route Army in 1938–1939. After his death at the front in 1939, he became a national hero in China and a symbol of Canadian-Chinese friendship.