Canadian cardiologist who was a childhood war hero dies at 89
Dwight I. Peretz, MD, died May 27 at the age of 89. Peretz had a long, celebrated career in cardiology, but he also lived an unforgettable childhood, one that included delivering undercover messages in Japanese-occupied Shanghai.
“Beginning when he was 12 and continuing off and on for 18 months, he was used to carry messages past Japanese guard posts to a secret radio operator for transmission to American intelligence officers,” according to a detailed account from The Globe and Mail. “The dispatches contained information about Japanese ship movements that helped pinpoint bombing raids and enable safe nighttime mining of the harbor. They were given to young Dwight by his stepfather, Arthur Peretz, an Allied spy who would observe Japanese naval ships from his office on an upper floor of the Shanghai General Hospital that provided a perfect view of the port.”
Peretz would go on to work for many decades as a cardiologist. Much of his medical career was spent at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he helped open what is thought to be Canada’s very first ICU. He retired in 1998 and was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
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Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.