Preface
"...Request the International Committee for Aid to China to allocate a living allowance to my divorced wife, and installments are also fine. There, my responsibility to her is very important, and she must not be abandoned because she has no money..."
Bethune
This is a will left by Bethune in November 1939 when he was unfortunately infected with the wounded and died.
Just two short sentences express Bethune's concern and friendship for his ex-wife Francis Campbell Penney.
When I heard this, I fell in love and divorced twice
1914, 24-year-old Bethune graduated from the University of Toronto medical major. At the age of 26, this medical genius received a MD.
During World War I, Bethune, who could have enjoyed a peaceful life, went to France and Britain one after another, and went to the front line to rescue the wounded in a rain of bullets.
html When he was 732 years old, Bethune won the Royal Medical Association of Edinburgh, England.
33 years old, Bethune went to Edinburgh to take the membership exam of the Surgery Society, and thus met the woman he loved deeply for his life - Francis Campbell Penney.
Francis is the only daughter of a British accountant. She was 22 years old the year she met Bethune.
For Francis, Bethune said that he fell in love with him at first sight. Because she spoke soft and musical Edinburgh dialect.
So, Bethune quickly launched a love offensive against the blonde, blue-eyed, innocent and intelligent girl, and Francis soon fell in love. As soon as the Bethune exam was over, the two of them traveled together to Western Europe and soon entered the marriage hall.
Bethune (horse rider) was with his family when he was a child
After marriage, Bethune was preparing to use his superb medical skills to practice medicine and take on the responsibility of supporting his family.
However, the reasonable Francis felt that her husband had great medical potential and could not delay his future. So, she decisively sold the inheritance in her hand, accompanied her husband to leave the UK, and went to Vienna and Paris to continue her further studies.
Bethune has always sympathized with the poor. He often said, "The rich can take care of themselves, but who will take care of the poor?"
So he often treats the poor with enthusiasm for free.
As time goes by, more and more people are looking for Bethune to treat his illness. Bethune is getting busier and busier, and he has to work day and night.
Later, Bethune unfortunately contracted tuberculosis . Under the medical conditions at that time, tuberculosis was a terminal illness, and once it was infected, it was difficult to survive.
This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Bethune who has not been married for a long time. In order not to worry his wife, Bethune deliberately kept it from her.
However, Francis still found clues in Bethune's bloody handkerchief.
Looking at the bright red blood color, Francis was shocked. She hurriedly asked a doctor to treat her husband.
After learning that her husband suffered from incurable tuberculosis, Francis not only did not leave her husband because of this, but instead cared more about her husband.
University of Toronto
Although she cannot help her husband relieve her illness, she still wants to do her best to make her husband feel better.
So, Francis carefully prepared delicious meals for her husband every day and bought milk to supplement her husband's nutrition.
Facing his wife's never leaving her, what Bethune feels is not happiness, but more pain and guilt.
Because he has the noble character of "not being selfish and specializing in others", he is worried that his tuberculosis will be transmitted to his wife, and he is not willing to waste his young wife, and waste his time and life on him, a dying person.
So, Bethune struggled to sit up from the bed and said to his wife:
"Dear, the god of death is coming to me. You are only 25 years old. I can't transmit tuberculosis to you. I want to divorce you!"
Hearing that his beloved husband was about to divorce him, Francis, who was unprepared, screamed: " No, this is absolutely not possible! Dear."
After Bethune's divorce request was rejected by his wife, he still did not give up and communicated with his wife on this issue many times.
However, no matter what Bethune said, Francis just disagrees with the divorce. She loves her husband, and she is unwilling to leave when he needs her the most, even if she is in danger of being infected...
Bethune
After a few weeks of treatment in the hospital, the doctor advises Bethune to return to his hometown to recuperate.
kept thinking about how to get his wife to leave him, but suddenly there was a flash of inspiration. He had a way to make his wife agree to divorce him!
When Bethune left the hospital and was about to return to his hometown, Francis asked to send Bethune to the railway station, but Bethune firmly disagreed.
Bethune said to his wife: "You can't go, I'm almost dead. I must go through the divorce procedures with you before I die!"
Hearing that her husband insisted on divorceing him, Francis hugged her husband tightly and begged hard, wanting him to change his mind:
"Why did you have to force me to divorce? No matter what happened, my only wish is to be by your side!"
The wife's sincere begging made Bethune complicated. He was moved by his wife's deep love for him, and was also worried that he would affect his wife.
In extreme pain, Bethune also begged his wife with tears in his eyes:
"Dear, because I love you very much, I can't waste your life! Let's go! Sell things and go back to Edinburgh, where you will be happier!"
However, Francis, who was determined to accompany her husband, couldn't listen to these at all. No matter how Bethune persuaded her, she was unwilling to leave.
In desperation, Bethune could only use his wife's love for him to force her to agree to the divorce:
"If you don't agree to divorce me, I won't go to the nursing home!"
Bethune
At this time, Francis was already crying to death. For the sake of her husband's health, she had to endure the pain and agreed to divorce and returned to her hometown Edinburgh alone. After breaking up with
, Francis misses Bethune very much. One day, she finally couldn't suppress her longing for Bethune and wrote him a letter to tell him about her concern for him.
After receiving the letter, Bethune was even more painful. He missed Francis very much these days after separation.
This emotion will almost torture Bethune, who is wandering on the brink of death.
Fortunately, Bethune has superhuman perseverance. Under the dual torture of illness and longing, he used his superb medical skills to fight against the disease.
Finally, Bethune used himself to experiment and invented "artificial pneumothorax therapy" and pulled himself back from the brink of death.
The first thing Bethune did after recovering was to send a telegram to his ex-wife Francis to tell him about his longing for her and apologize to her for his "ruthless" divorce.
After receiving the letter, Francis was very happy. At this time, although she had been divorced from Bethune for a year, she had not yet gotten out of this relationship and had not married another person.
At the invitation of Bethune, Francis came to Montreal to meet him.
After seeing his lover whom he had been thinking about day and night, Bethune's eyes were extremely warm and he brought Francis to the church directly.
So, They got married again!
However, they were married again and failed to maintain this marriage.
At that time, Bethune had been hired as a surgeon by the Royal Victoria Hospital of Montreal. Due to his outstanding ability, Bethune soon became the director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Sacred Heart Hospital and was also elected as a director by the American Thoracic Surgery Association.
Bethune, who has a strong career aspiration, is very busy every day and has been devoted to work and research, and is inevitably ignored in life.
One day, Francis told her husband Bethune to buy some meat and vegetables before going to work. When she came back in the evening, she would cook a few delicious meals for her husband, and the couple had dinner together to enjoy the warm moments after get off work.
After Francis got off work in the afternoon, he just entered the house and asked his husband who was sitting on the ground and focused on studying the skeleton: "Did you buy the meat and vegetables I asked you to buy?"
Bethune and Francis
Bethune responded without raising his head, "Just put it in the refrigerator."
Francis opened the refrigerator enthusiastically and prepared to show his skills.
However, she found that there was neither meat nor vegetables in the refrigerator, only a piece of intestine.
Francis frowned in disappointment, pinched the intestine with his hands and asked her husband: "Have you bought a broken intestine?"
Hearing this, Bethune suddenly jumped up from the ground and shouted loudly: "Don't move, that's a human intestine!"
Francis was shocked and hurriedly threw down the intestines in his hand and shouted, "How can the intestines of dead people be put together with food?"
Betune said indifferently, "Why can't you put them together? Isn't the pork and mutton you eat also the organ of dead animals?"
Francis, who was unable to refute, sat sadly on the floor, not knowing what to do. She felt that her husband was really strange...
However, at this time, Bethune did not realize that their relationship was facing a brand new crisis. After
, similar things happened several times. Francis finally couldn't stand it anymore. She filed for divorce from Bethune.
Hearing this request, Bethune rushed to his forehead with anger. But soon, Bethune returned to peace.
Bethune has always felt that he has done a lot of things that promote people's happiness, but he can't do anything that hinders people's happiness. What's more, he is the person he loves deeply.
Since my wife is not happy with me, let her leave and let her pursue her happiness!
So, Bethune agreed to his wife's request for divorce and sincerely wished the other party to form a happy family.
is like this, they broke up peacefully.
Anti-Japanese War
went to China to support
1937, Bethune accidentally learned that the Chinese people were fighting against the Japanese invaders with all their might. He therefore had the idea of going to China for medical rescue.
At the end of July of this year, Bethune met a famous Chinese educator Tao Xingzhi at a dinner party for medical friends in the United States.
After hearing that Tao Xingzhi was a Chinese, Bethune seemed very excited. He quickly inquired about the situation on the Chinese battlefield.
When he learned that the Communist Party of China was under tremendous pressure on the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War, with heavy casualties, poor medical conditions and serious shortage of rescue personnel, Bethune held Tao Xingzhi's hand tightly and said:
"Thank you for telling me these situations, I finally decided! China needs a doctor like me, I want to go to China!"
Tao Xingzhi is not only a famous educator, but also a famous patriot.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Tao Xingzhi was righteous and raised his own funds. He went to more than 20 countries to give speeches. He wanted to use his own strength to mobilize more overseas Chinese and international progressives to support the country in fighting foreign invaders and defend his country.
Therefore, Tao Xingzhi was also very excited to hear that a famous doctor like Bethune wanted to help the Chinese fight against Japan.
Anti-Japanese War
He also held Bethune's hand tightly and said: "Thank you, Mr. Bethune! Thank you for your support and sympathy for the Chinese people!"
In January 1938, Bethune led his medical team to come to the mainland from Vancouver through Hong Kong. During this period, Bethune rejected the invitation from the Kuomintang and went straight to Yan'an.
When passing Hong Kong, Bethune wrote to Francis:
"...In a society full of conspiracy and corruption, I will not stand by. I will not forgive those greedy people for war against others! I have tried my best to explain to you why I came to China, because I am the most needed here, and I am the most useful! I wish you happiness..."
As soon as he arrived in Yan'an, Bethune met Chairman Mao and urgently demanded to go to the front line. Chairman Mao agreed to Bethune's request.
In June of that year, Bethune came to the Wutai Jinchaji Military Region Command.
After Nie Rongzhen heard that Bethune had arrived, he rushed back from another place overnight and met him the next morning.
As soon as he met Nie Rongzhen, Bethune asked anxiously: "Tell me quickly! Where is my job?"
Considering that Bethune had just experienced the hardships of driving, Nie Rongzhen persuaded him to take a break before working.
Unexpectedly, Bethune said:
"I came here to work, not to rest! You should treat me as a mechanism and use it!"
Just like that, Bethune started working before he even took a break. During this period, he fought hard in the smoke of war with his selfless revolutionary enthusiasm, and treated the wounded Eighth Route Army day and night, setting a record of 115 consecutive surgeries in 69 hours!
Bethune set out from Yan'an to the front line of the anti-Japanese war
In addition to treating the wounded, Bethune is also very concerned about the morale of the soldiers. In order to arouse more international progressive people's support and solidarity with the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japan, Bethune also took time to write a large number of reports, speeches and even short stories in addition to his busy work.
He once published a short story about the Anti-Japanese War entitled "The Empty Grass in China's Fat Fields" in the American "Progress Weekly".
He used delicate brushstrokes and sincere feelings to tell the story of the Japanese army implementing the "Three Lights" policy after occupying North China, which aroused the hatred and anger of poor people in China. It expresses an international friend's sympathy for the Chinese people and his respect for the patriotism of the Chinese people.
Through these articles, Bethune promoted the Communist Party of China's anti-Japanese propositions in other countries, which played a certain role in expanding the influence of the Communist Party of China.
Later, due to the Japanese army's blockade, there was a serious shortage of medical devices and drugs in the border areas, so Bethune proposed to return to China to raise funds, medicines and devices.
At the same time, he also wanted to take this opportunity to publicize the atrocities of the Japanese army and the heroic acts of the Chinese people to fight against the war to the world.
Bethune underwent surgery on the front line of the anti-Japanese war
However, just as Bethune was about to set off to return home, the Japanese army launched a large-scale "sweeping", and Bethune suddenly changed his mind. He said:
"I can't leave the troops during the battle. I will leave again when the battle is over!"
Unfortunately, after saying this, Bethune had no chance to leave China...
In the fierce battle, Bethune quickly led the medical team to the front line, set up an operating room near the line of fire, and carried out rescue work. During
, he accidentally pierced his left middle finger while performing surgery on the injured. Later, a wounded patient with a strong surgical infectious disease was on the operating table, and everyone dissuaded Bethune from undergoing the operation.
But Bethune insisted on walking onto the operating table. During this period, his gloves were cut and his injured fingers were seriously infected.
Nie Rongzhen learned about this.Immediately issue the order : "You must treat Bethune quickly!"
However, at the critical moment when life is threatened, Bethune still wants to work, save people, and do his best to make some contribution to the War of Resistance.
A few days later, Bethune's high fever did not subside and his condition became more and more serious.
After Nie Rongzhen learned about it, he issued another order, requiring Bethune to return to the rear hospital for treatment immediately.
Bethune passed away
but it was too late. At this time, Bethune's condition was very serious and his injuries had worsened into sepsis.
The extremely weak Bethune also realized that his situation was not good, so he wrote a touching letter to Nie Rongzhen. In the letter
, Bethune not only explained the work he could not let go of and allocated the relics, but also expressed his concern for his ex-wife.
He asked Nie Rongzhen to tell his ex-wife that he was very sorry and was once very happy... He also asked the international aid organization to allocate funds to this divorced wife...
Bethune never cared about the return, let alone the money.
Chairman Mao once specially approved him to give him 100 yuan a month. At that time, ordinary Eighth Route Army soldiers had only a subsidy of 1 yuan a month, and even Chairman Mao had only a subsidy of 5 yuan.
However, Bethune did not want such special care.
He made this request at the last moment of his life out of infinite regret for his ex-wife, out of his strong sense of responsibility, out of concern for her...
He never had the chance to care about her anymore, even if it was just a friend...
