The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame announced its 2015 inductees today. The late Dr. John McCrae, a true Canadian Hero, together with the following five other great Canadians will become laureates in Winnipeg, Manitoba in April next year.

Dr. Alan Bernstein OC, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, LL.D (Hon), DSc (Hon) (Toronto, ON)
Dr. Judith G. HallOC, MD, FRCS, FCAHS (Vancouver, BC)
Dr. Bernard LangerOC, MD, FRCPS (Toronto, ON)
The late Dr. John McCraeMD, MRCP, LCol (Guelph, ON, Montreal QC)
Dr. Julio MontanerMD, DSc (hon), FRCPC, FCCP, FACP, FRSC, OBC (Vancouver, BC)
Dr. Duncan G. SinclairDVM, PhD, FRCPS (hon) (Kingston, ON)

How fitting it is that in the centennial year of the beginning of the First World War Dr. McCrae is to be honoured in this way.   Although Lieutenant Colonel McCrae died in January 1918, before the end of the war, his memory lives on in the poem he wrote on the battle field in May 1915.  The words of In Flanders Fields have become embedded in both the conscience and the anthology of mankind, and the image of the poppy, described so poignantly in the poem, has become a universal sign and symbol for Remembrance.

In honour of today’s announcement here is the poem In Flanders Fields for those who may be reading it for the first time and which I had posted previously in June: Row on Row .

To learn more about Dr. McCrae and the other remarkable inductees this year visit the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.