Harden Elkington
Insulin is a hormone that regulates the flow of sugar in the body. All forms of diabetes are caused by a deficiency of, inaccuracy, or non-availability of insulin due to insufficiency, incorrectness, or non-existence of such supplies.
The Nobel Prize was awarded to the innovative scientists who discovered insulin; however, the finding generated widespread controversy between scientists who have contributed to the discovery of insulin.
The history of diabetes medicine is fascinating, but the discovery of insulin alone is not worth a Nobel Prize.
However, it still had a major impact on human life. It saved millions of lives and cured Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), which once meant certain death for patients.
Over the years, there have been several conflicting accounts of the discovery of insulin, and even the Nobel Prize given for its invention in 1923 has been called into question.
In this article, we’ll take a look at those responsible for developing this ground-breaking diabetes therapy.
The history of insulin
Let’s take a look at the events that led to the discovery of insulin.
In 1869, Paul Langerhans, a medical student in Berlin, was studying the structure of the pancreas under a microscope when he identified small clusters of cells now known as the Islets of Langerhans.
Langerhans noted that these cells produced and released a substance, but he didn’t know what the cells were producing.
In 1889, German physiologist Joseph von Mering and American physician Oskar Minkowski removed the pancreas from a healthy dog and observed that its blood glucose levels dropped dramatically.
They suspected that an unknown substance from the pancreas controlled blood glucose levels. To test their theory, they scarred the pancreases of dogs and later found that these dogs developed diabetes.
In 1921, American pathologist Frederick Banting and medical student Charles Best repeated the experiment, but they removed only part of the pancreas.
They noted that this incomplete pancreatectomy caused a reduction in blood sugars.
In 1922 and 1923, Banting and Macleod received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine “for their discovery of insulin.”
There were controversies about the Nobel Prize awarded for insulin
The story behind the insulin discovery
Frederick Banting was a young medical student at the University of Toronto. At that time, he wanted to be an assistant surgeon in the First World War, but his frail health made it impossible.
One morning during an anatomy lecture, while fellow students were drinking beer after the dissection of cadavers, Banting was in his office hours with Dr. John J. R. Macleod, Chair of Physiology at the University of Toronto.
That day, Banting’s mind was exploring different ideas about research when suddenly an idea came to him that he thought could be useful for the treatment of wounded soldiers who had diabetes.
The idea that led to the discovery of insulin was born that day. For two months he worked on his project and then went back to Macleod and proposed his idea.
There were several concerns about Banting’s idea:
- Research on animals had failed before
- No grant was available to fund the projec
- His idea had never been tested.
Banting was allowed to use an abandoned laboratory and some experimental animals with no grant support initially.
Later on, he got help from Charles Best who was a medical student at that time.
They began their experiments by cutting ligaments in diabetic dogs’ legs, draining blood from their pancreases, removing the pancreas and measuring glucose levels in the remaining blood.
The experiments were difficult at first. Only when Banting tried doing everything himself did they get success. Then it became easy to get results every time he did the experiment.
Banting and Best were able to succeed, but they failed to purify insulin because of the limited availability of materials such as glass and rubber tubes.
They also didn’t know how much insulin was needed for treatment, so the injection method used was not accurate. After this first step, Banting took a vacation and went to the Maritimes to fish.
There he met Professor John J.R Macleod, who was there for vacation as well.
MacLeod told Banting about the research of Dr. August Kroch, which led him to suggest purifying insulin through charcoal during his next visit.
His idea was to mix insulin with zinc and boiling water, filter out the charcoal, add alcohol to the filtrate and inject it all into a diabetic dog.
In 1922, they received a Nobel Prize for their research.
The development of insulin
Banting and Macleod’s discovery led to a search for better ways of delivering insulin. For the next 20 years, there were at least 50 different methods used in an attempt to maintain blood sugars near normal levels in diabetic patients.
In the 1930s, further advances in technology allowed scientists to produce large quantities of insulin.
By this time, insulin was purified, and it did not need to be injected directly into the veins.
Subsequently, scientists discovered how to make long-acting insulin that could last up to 24 hours. This made it easier for diabetic patients because they only had to inject themselves with one dose of insulin each day.
Diabetics can now use an insulin pump to provide a continuous supply of insulin.
Insulin’s role in diabetes treatment
When a person has diabetes mellitus, the body cannot use sugar (glucose) normally because either the pancreas is not able to produce insulin, or the body is unable to use it properly.
Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas and helps your body’s cells absorb glucose from the blood.
The amount of insulin made continues to increase as your blood sugar levels increase, which occurs after eating.
When the cells can’t absorb glucose normally, they are unable to produce energy for the body’s needs. The body tries to remove any extra glucose in the blood by excreting it in urine or through other ways.
The daily dosage of insulin varies depending on the production ability of the pancreas and the blood sugar level. For a person who has type 1 diabetes, insulin injections may be necessary over a lifetime.
For a person with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas can produce insulin but not enough or the body is unable to use it properly even if the pancreas does produce enough. In this case, oral medications are used in combination with insulin injections.
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Types of insulins
There are several different kinds of insulins, including:
- Rapid-acting
- Short-acting
- Intermediate-acting
- Long-acting
All of them affect the blood sugar levels in a similar way to what happens when you eat foods that contain sugar. A rapid-acting insulin is absorbed quickly into the body and starts to work right after injection.
In contrast, long-acting insulin takes a longer time to be absorbed into the body and start working.
The dosage of insulin is carefully considered as well as the timing of taking it in relation to eating, exercise, and other factors. For example, long-acting insulins are taken once a day, while rapid-acting insulins are taken before each meal.
It is important to note that the correct dosage should be carefully discussed with your doctor to ensure that you receive enough insulin to keep your blood sugar levels under control, but not too much as this could lead to low blood sugars (hypoglycemia).
Conclusion
Insulin is a hormone naturally produced by the pancreas. It is essential for our bodies to be able to use sugar as a source of energy, and therefore it ensures the appropriate blood sugar levels in the body.
If you have diabetes mellitus, your body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use it correctly. In this case, you will need to take insulin injections for the rest of your life.
The dosage, type, and timing of the injection depend on several factors including age, weight, physical activity level, diet, kidney function, blood cholesterol levels, pregnancy status, etc.
Therefore it is important that you discuss these aspects with your doctor to ensure that you receive enough insulin while maintaining the appropriate blood sugar levels.
Finally, insulin is essential for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and it cannot be substituted by other types of medication, such as diabetic medications or supplements.
