, photo = Place Norman Bethune Montreal 01.JPG , photo_width = , photo_caption = Statue of Norman Bethune in Norman Bethune Square. , map = Canada Montreal , map_width = , type =

Town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, location =

Quartier Concordia Quartier Concordia is a neighbourhood redevelopment project centred on Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Bordered by Sherbrooke Street, Saint-Mathieu Street, René Lévesque Boulevard and Bis ...

, Ville-Marie

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, nearest_city = , coords = , coords_ref = , area = , created = March 23, 1976 , operator = City of Montreal , visitation_num = , status = Open all year , open = Norman Bethune Square (french: place Norman-Bethune) is a small urban square located in Downtown Montreal at the northwest intersection of

Guy Street Guy Street (officially in french: rue Guy) is a north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Concordia University's Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex is located on this street, as is the John Mol ...

and De Maisonneuve Boulevard West. It is located close to Concordia University's

Sir George Williams campus Quartier Concordia is a neighbourhood redevelopment project centred on Concordia University's Sir George Williams campus in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Bordered by Sherbrooke Street, Saint-Mathieu Street, René Lévesque Boulevard and Bis ...

and is opposite the Guy-Concordia

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

station. The main feature of the square is the statue of Dr.

Norman Bethune Henry Norman Bethune (; March 4, 1890 – November 12, 1939; zh, t=亨利·諾爾曼·白求恩, p=Hēnglì Nuò'ěrmàn Báiqiú'ēn) was a Canadian thoracic surgeon, early advocate of socialized medicine, and member of the Communist Party ...

, as well as trees, lighting, benches and an expanded sidewalk.

Norman Bethune

Inaugurated on March 23, 1976, Norman Bethune Square is named after Norman Bethune (1890–1939), a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

doctor from

. Although he was born in Gravenhurst, Ontario and died in China, Bethune resided in Montreal for eight years, from 1928 to 1936. It was during his stay in Montreal that he became a renowned

thoracic surgeon Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal struc ...

, that his socialist ideas and convictions took shape, guiding him to a profound commitment towards social and humanitarian causes including joining the Communist Party of Canada. While living in the city, Bethune innovated a number of ground-breaking medical instruments against

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. During the Great Depression, Bethune worked with

Lea Roback Lea or LEA may refer to: Places Australia * Lea River, Tasmania, Australia * Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows * RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA" England * Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish * Lea, Derbyshire, a set ...

and others to open a public clinic for the unemployed and poor as party of his cross-Canada advocacy for socialized medicine or public health care. After joining the Communist Party of Canada, he traveled to Spain as part of the International Brigades where he created one of the first mobile blood transfusion services during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. Bethune returned to Montreal to campaign for

Republican Spain The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

before leaving for China. Between 1938 and 1939, on the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Bethune traveled with the

Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army or Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, commonly known as the Chinese Red Army or simply the Red Army, are the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party. It was formed when Communist ...

and he eventually contracted

blood poisoning Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is foll ...

and died in China. The

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

offered the statue of Norman Bethune to the city of

Redesign

At the time of the 70th anniversary of the Bethune's participation in the World War II in China, the City of Montreal undertook a major renovation project of the square at a cost of C$3 million. The site was under substantial renovations as part of the redevelopment of De Maisonneuve Boulevard. The newly restored statue of Norman Bethune was unveiled on October 14, 2008. The square was completed in 2009.

Gallery

Image:Norman Bethune (original).JPG Image:Norman bethune.jpg Image:Norman Bethune Square.jpg

References

* Ville de Montréal, ''Les rues de Montréal, Répertoire historique''. Éditions du Méridien. 1995.

External links

Norman Bethune
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune Square, Norman Squares in Montreal Downtown Montreal Norman Bethune 1976 establishments in Quebec Concordia University

Norman Bethune

Redesign

Gallery

See also

References

External links