Norman Bethune (1890-1939) was a Canadian surgeon who travelled to Spain (1936-1937) and China (1938-1939) to perform battle field surgical operations on war casualties as humanitarian efforts.
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Bethune's work in Spain in developing mobile medical units were the model for the later development of MASH units. He was also a pioneer in dealing with the problems of delivering blood transfusions in a battlefield context.
He met his tragic death while saving the lives of others; he died of inflammation from a cut wound he received during a surgery, in midst of the Chinese Civil War.
Virtually unknown in his homeland during his lifetime, Doctor Bethune was finally recognized by his fellow countrymen and had become internationally famous since Chairman Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of China wrote in his book, titled In Remembrance of Bethune (記念白求恩), documenting the good deeds the doctor had done during the final months of his life he spent in China. Mao went ahead and made the book a required reading for the entire Chinese population. Mao wrote in the book's preface : As a selfless internationalist, Doctor Bethune served as a role model for every human being.