Invention Of Insulin

Diabetes was recognized as a disease by the ancient Egyptians and named by the ancient Greeks, but it was not until 1921 that its cause was identified, and a treatment, insulin, was isolated by Canadian chemist Frederick Banting.

The fact that diabetes is linked to the pancreas was confirmed in 1889 when two German researchers, Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, removed the pancreas from dogs, and the dogs then developed diabetes. Scientists concluded that the pancreas must produce a chemical messenger that controls blood sugar levels, but they were a long way from identifying the chemical in question.

Then, in 1920, Frederick Banting (Canada) came up with an idea that seemed too simple to be true. Because the pancreas secreted a protein-destroying enzyme, Banting thought that it might be destroying the very protein that scientists had been searching for, and that if the enzyme-secreting ducts were removed, the remainder of the pancreas might yield the elusive chemical messenger. After some persuasion, John MacLeod (Scotland), Professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto, accepted Banting into his department, where Banting, assisted by research student Charles Best (Canada), proved his theory correct. Then in July 1921, with the help of biochemist Bertram Collip (Canada), they managed to isolate a pure extract of the vital protein, which they called insulin, and the three of them patented: "A method of producing extracts of pancreas, suitable for administration to the human subject."

The first patient to be given insulin was 14-year-old Leonard Thompson (Canada), who was treated at Toronto General Hospital in 11 January 1922 by Drs Walter A. Campbel and Alma A. Fletcher (both Canada) - Thompson had been expected to die, but he survived and went on to lead a relatively normal life with daily doses of insulin. The discovery and production of insulin was such an important medical breakthrough that Banting and MacLeod were jointly awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Banting was outraged that Best had not been recognized by the Nobel prize committee and gave half of his prize money to Best, while MacLeod gave half of his to Collip.

Source - The Book Of Inventions by Ian Harrison