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From our archives
Dr. Sir Frederick Grant Banting 1923
Frederick Grant Banting discoverer of Insulin, was born November 14, 1891, on his family's farm in Alliston, Ontario. He attended Alliston Continuation School and completed his medical studies at the University of Toronto Medical School in 1916. He established a surgical practice in London, Ontario, supplementing his income as a medical demonstrator at the University of Western Ontario.
In London he conceived the technique which might permit isolation of the anti-diabetic component of the pancreas. He returned to the University of Toronto in 1921 to conduct experiments on the pancreas at the labs of Dr. J. R. MacLeod. By the time the summer had ended, he and Charles Best had isolated Insulin. They were successful in testing their extract on diabetic dogs. Dr. J.B. Collip joined the team and developed the process by which Insulin could be purified and processed in sufficient amounts for clinical trials. The first human test was conducted in 1922 with spectacular results and the formula was given gratuitously to the University of Toronto in trust for the benefit of humanity.
Fame came quickly to the soft-spoken Banting who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine because of his discovery. Many honours followed, including knighthood, and Banting continued to work on further research and co-ordinated the National Wartime Medical Research effort. His efforts were cut short by a fatal crash in Newfoundland February 21, 1941.
On May 1, 2003, Sir Frederick Banting, Dr. Charles H. Best and Dr. James Collip were honoured posthumously at a ceremony in Akron, Ohio, by the National Inventors Hall of Fame and inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame for their discovery, and as pioneers in using Insulin to treat diabetes.
While Insulin is not a cure, this medical discovery continues to save millions worldwide. Today, we are still conducting research for a cure to this dreaded disease and other related illnesses.
THE LEGACY LIVES ON.
