The Discovery Of Insulin At The University Of Toronto

The discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto in 1921-22 was one of the most dramatic events in the history of the treatment of disease. Insulin was a wonder-drug with ability to bring patients back from the very brink of death, and it was no surprise that in 1923 the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to its discoverers, the Canadian research team of Banting, Best, Collip, and Macleod. In this engaging and award-winning account, historian Michael Bliss recounts the fascinating story behind the discovery of insulin – a story as much filled with fiery confrontation and intense competition as medical dedication and scientific genius. Originally published in 1982 and updated in 1996, The Discovery of Insulin has won the City of Toronto Book Award, the Jason Hannah Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, and the William H. Welch Medal of the American Association for the History of Medicine.

1998. Gift from the publisher.

A history of diabetology told by renowned contributors, many have themselves already become a part of diabetes history. A must-have for every diabetologist! Diabetologists, diabetes educators, and many interested readers will appreciate this book. What is more, countless celebrations are planned for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin: this book provides numerous illustrations, accounts of personal experiences, and critical remarks on the history of diabetology – in addition to the history of insulin. It spans an arc from antiquity to the work of Claude Bernard, Paul Langerhans, Josef von Mering, Apollinaire Bouchardat, Oskar Minkowski, E.P. Joslin, and F.M. Allen. The history of insulin is presented from the perspective of diabetologists from Scotland, Spain, Germany, and Poland. The history of oral antidiabetics is told by Harald Lebovitz, and the chapter about glitazones by Edwin Gale reads like a spy novel! Pierre Lefèbvre describes the work of the diabetologist Jean Pirart and the history of glucagon. Sir George Alberti has provided a chapter about the therapy of ketoacidosis, to which he himself made groundbreaking contributions. Nephropathy is presented by Hans-Henrik Parving, and Eva Kohner, Ronald Klein and Barbara E.K. Klein have contributed a chapter on retinopathy. Other contemporary topics such diabetes in pregnancy, diabetes technology, psychosocial aspects of diabetes, and the history of the EASD and ADA are also included in this book.

Anyone who attended the University or who is interested in the growth of Canada's intellectual heritage will enjoy this compelling and magisterial history.

Vol. 2, no. 5/6 contains the first detailed reports of the clinical use of insulin. cf. Pref., p. [545].

In Partnership for Excellence, senior medical historian and award-winning author Edward Shorter details the Faculty of Medicine's history from its inception as a small provincial school to its present day status as an international powerhouse.

The latest page-turner from Canada's bestselling children's author. Twelve-year-old Ruth must spend her summer at the University of Toronto, where her mother is hired to clean the Institute of Biological Research. There, the lonely girl is befriended by Dr. Banting and his assistant Mr. Best, who are in search of a cure for diabetes. But much to Ruth's dismay, the research they are doing involves testing on animals. She's not the only one concerned about the dogs: a group of animal rights protestors become a regular fixture outside the institute. When the group leader tries to enlist Ruth's support, she is torn between her sympathy for animals and her loyalty to Dr. Banting and Mr. Best.

Frederick Banting was thirty-one when he received the Nobel Prize for his part in the discovery of insulin. He was catapulted to instant fame, for which he was neither personally nor professionally prepared. Set up as head of his own research institute by a grateful government, he struggled fruitlessly to duplicate his first triumph. His marriage to a beautiful socialite ended in a scandal that rocked Toronto, and he returned to work and painting to dull his frustration. He died in a mysterious plane crash; a new preface to this edition discusses recent findings about the crash. Michaeal Bliss's highly acclaimed biography explores the life of a scientist who during his lifetime was the most famous of all Canadians, but who in his private life stands revealed as a passionate, troubled man, in many ways the victim of his own fame.