The Scalpel The Sword

Originally published in the early 1950s, The Scalpel, the Sword celebrates the turbulent career of Dr. Norman Bethune (1890-1939), a brilliant surgeon, campaigner against private medicine, communist, and graphic artist. Bethune belonged to that international contingent of individuals who recognized the threat of fascism in the world and went out courageously to try to defeat it. Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Bethune introduced innovative techniques in treating battlefield injuries and pioneered the use of blood transfusions to save lives, which made him a legend first in Spain during the civil war and later in China when he served with the armies of Mao Zedong in their fight against the invading Japanese. He is today remembered amongst the pantheon of Chinese revolutionary heroes. In Canada Bethune’s strong left-wing views made him persona non grata, but this highly readable and engaging account has helped to sustain the memory of a great man.

Originally published in the early 1950s, The Scalpel, the Sword celebrates the turbulent career of Dr. Norman Bethune (1890-1939), a brilliant surgeon, campaigner against private medicine, communist, and graphic artist. Bethune belonged to that international contingent of individuals who recognized the threat of fascism in the world and went out courageously to try to defeat it. Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Bethune introduced innovative techniques in treating battlefield injuries and pioneered the use of blood transfusions to save lives, which made him a legend first in Spain during the civil war and later in China when he served with the armies of Mao Zedong in their fight against the invading Japanese. He is today remembered amongst the pantheon of Chinese revolutionary heroes. In Canada Bethune's strong left-wing views made him persona non grata, but this highly readable and engaging account has helped to sustain the memory of a great man.

A Novel of the American Civil War David Preston was an officer in the U. S. Army—before Virginia seceded from the Union. Then, with most of his fellow Virginians, he offered himself in the service of the Confederacy . . . Assigned to Col. T. J. Jackson's 1st brigade, at Harper's Ferry, he quickly began applying the expertise in military medicine he had gained as an observer with Garibaldi's forces in Italy. He'd met Abe Lincoln once, in Washington. Now he was to encounter the likes of J. E. B. Stuart, the dashing cavalry commander, Robert E. Lee, Jubal Early, and especially Stonewall Jackson—that puzzling blend of professor, Bible scholar, and dazzling military genius. David was to follow Jackson through all his campaigns—right up to the last one, at Chancellorsville, where a stray bullet ended the great general's life. And David was then to see the Confederate cause gallantly go down to defeat as Grant's armies closed their iron circle around Richmond. But always in the back of David's mind was Araminta, the Cherokee woman he would marry if he survived the war. She was caught up in the political intrigues over the fate of the Cherokee nation after the war, and her Southern sym­pathies led her to take chances which endangered her safety, and perhaps her life . . . Human tragedies interweave and blend with the broad sweep of military maneuvers, in this large-scale historical novel about the men who fought with Stonewall Jackson during the Great War of Secession.

"Within hours of his arrival, Norman was taken to meet Chairman Mao Zedong. The smiling man grabbed Norman's hands in welcome....The two men talked for hours." This book will be especially fascinating for all readers interested in: history or biography. One of the world's top surgeons, an advocate of democratic medical services, and an international humanitarian, Norman Bethune risked his life to deliver blood to the front lines. He is revered in China as a hero, where he was a personal friend of Chairman Mao Zedong, and his unceasing and inventive work established a lasting bond between his adopted people and this heroic Canadian.