Insulin~ The lifesaving discovery

Today, diabetes is a disease which is easily cured by a very handy material known as Insulin. However, how exactly did this material come to be discovered? It all happened because of a man known as Dr. Frederick Banting, who after reading an article on the pancreas decided to discover a method to cure diabetes.

It was well known that diabetes was linked with the pancreas, as it served two main purposes: produce digestive juices, and produce another mysterious substance which helped control blood sugar levels. However, what wasn't known was what exactly this material was, and how to extract it. Dr. Frederick Banting theorized that by shrinking the pancreas, it would be possible to harvest the substance without damaging the pancreas itself. Thus the experimenting began. Dr. Frederick Banting was granted a humble lab, with ten test dogs. Charles Best was a medical student, and decided to assist Dr. Banting with his pursuit to solve the puzzle. Firstly, Dr. Frederick Banting removed the pancreas from one of the dogs, and observed what would happen. It showed signs of extreme thirst, frequent urination, and high blood sugar levels. It had developed diabetes. They then took another dog, and then surgically ligated the pancreas while it was still in the body. After some time, they took the pancreas out and preserved it with salt and ice. The ground-up and filtered juices of it were inserted into the first dog, which immediately showed signs of improvement. They took their studies to their peers, who were equally amazed. A more advanced facility, more funding, and more help were offered to Dr. Frederick Banting, who took their experimenting to cattle, and finally to humans. Finally it seemed, the cure was here. Insulin was born.
   Dr. Frederick Banting was given the Nobel Prize in 1923, but decided to share the glory and prize money with his assistant Best. It shouldn't be overlooked that instead of retiring to a life of luxury and wealth by patenting his discovery, Dr. Banting decided that whoever needed insulin, could have it. He wasn't interested in making a profit from his discovery, rather he wanted to help as many people as he could. That selflessness and will to persevere through tough times is what gives us Canadians our fame, and yet another moment in history we can reflect upon.