The spirit of Norman Bethune
Henry Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was a member of the Canadian Communist Party, an internationalist soldier, and a well-known thoracic surgeon. He joined the Communist Party of Canada in 1935. In 1938 he came to China with medical supplies and joined the Chinese people in their Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. He died in November 1939 of blood poisoning contracted while he was performing an operation.
During his stay of less than two years in China, Dr. Bethune fought 11 battles and experienced combat side by side with the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army. He performed operations on wounded soldiers close to the battlefield and saved numerous lives. In December 1939, Mao Zedong wrote an article “In Memory of Norman Bethune” as a tribute to the doctor, calling on the Chinese people to learn from the absolute selflessness of this great soldier, a man who “is already noble-minded and pure, a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the people.”
Dr. Bethune displayed his internationalism, medical ethics, and humanitarian principles, his utter devotion to others without any thought of self, and his effort to constantly improve his skills. These were not the ethics of the Canadian doctor alone, but embodied the collective experience and wisdom of numerous revolutionaries in pursuing China’s independence.
Xi Jinping recalled the stories of Dr. Bethune in August 2017, and called on the people to learn from his example and other Chinese models, and have a kind heart as pure as gold. Though the times of Dr. Bethune are very different from the current times, his nobility and devotion provide an example that the Chinese people can still respect and learn from today.
白求恩精神
亨利·诺尔曼·白求恩，加拿大共产党党员，国际主义战士，著名胸外科医生。1935年加入加拿大共产党，1938年来到中国参与抗日革命，1939年11月因抢救伤员感染败血症而不幸牺牲。
在中国1年多时间里，白求恩出生入死，哪里有危险就战斗到哪里，直接参加11次战役战斗，在战场最前沿不分昼夜抢救伤员做手术，把大批八路军伤员从死亡线上拉回来。白求恩逝世后的1939年12月21日，毛泽东主席写下了《纪念白求恩》，称其是“一个高尚的人，一个纯粹的人，一个有道德的人，一个脱离了低级趣味的人，一个有益于人民的人”。
白求恩精神包含“国际主义精神、救死扶伤的革命人道主义精神、毫不利己专门利人的精神和对技术精益求精的精神”等内容。白求恩精神不是一个人的精神，是包括白求恩在内的无数革命先辈谋求中华民族独立的实践经验和集体智慧的结晶。
2017年8月13日，习近平号召大家学习白求恩等历史和时代的楷模，要求大家保持一颗金子般发光的心。尽管白求恩所处时代与当今社会已不可同日而语，但他的高尚品德和执着情怀，永远是我们应该尊崇和学习的楷模。