How a 14-year-old's medical treatment in 1922 revolutionized diabetes care and led to a historic four-way Nobel Prize split
In 1922, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson became the first person to receive an insulin injection, a breakthrough that transformed diabetes from a fatal disease into a manageable condition. (Images: X/ University of Toront , iStock)
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From Farm Boy to Medical Pioneer: Banting's Unlikely Journey
Trial, Error, and Triumph: The Birth of Insulin
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A Miracle Drug Emerges
The Nobel Prize Controversy
Beyond the Breakthrough
In 1922, the world witnessed one of the most transformative moments in medical history. A 14-year-old boy named Leonard Thompson , lying comatose from type 1 diabetes at Toronto General Hospital , became the first human to receive an injection of insulin. That one injection, administered by Dr. Frederick Banting and medical student Charles Best, not only saved Leonard's life—giving him thirteen more years—but also turned a fatal condition into a manageable one. It marked the beginning of modern diabetes treatment, a path paved by hope, controversy, and scientific rivalry.According to an article from Science History Institute, Frederick Grant Banting wasn't always on the fast track to scientific fame. The youngest son of Methodist farmers from Alliston, Ontario, he almost became a minister before switching to medicine. After serving in World War I and returning with a shrapnel injury, he struggled to establish his surgical practice in London, Ontario. It was in his role as a lecturer at a medical school that a chance encounter with a medical journal sparked an idea that would later reshape endocrinology.Reading an article on the pancreatic islets of Langerhans , Banting jotted down a bold idea: to isolate the internal secretions of the pancreas that controlled blood sugar. He pitched it to John Macleod, a renowned physiologist at the University of Toronto. Skeptical but intrigued, Macleod gave Banting lab space, ten dogs, and a young assistant named Charles Best.In the summer of 1921, Banting and Best began their experiments, using dogs to test how pancreatic extract could affect diabetes. Through duct ligation and pancreatectomies, they observed the remarkable effects of what they called "isletin"—soon to be renamed insulin. After refining the extract with the help of biochemist James Collip, the team tested it on Leonard Thompson.Though the initial injection in January 1922 had minimal impact, Collip's improved purification method led to a second, far more successful attempt. Leonard's blood sugar dropped significantly, and insulin had proven its worth. This event signaled the dawn of a new era in medicine.Before insulin, diabetes management relied on near-starvation diets—sometimes as low as 500 calories a day. These regimens prolonged life but at a devastating cost to quality of life. Insulin changed everything. By the end of 1923, Eli Lilly had already begun mass production, and diabetic patients were regaining strength, eating balanced meals, and living fuller lives.The treatment's impact was swift and profound, and insulin became one of the 20th century's greatest medical breakthroughs.In 1923, the Nobel Committee awarded the Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Banting and Macleod. Outraged that Best wasn't recognized, Banting announced he would split his award with him. In a move that mirrored this gesture—and perhaps attempted to quell the growing tension—Macleod shared his winnings with Collip.Behind the scenes, the collaboration was far from harmonious. Banting grew increasingly suspicious of Macleod, accusing him of seeking credit, while a heated dispute broke out between Banting and Collip over the insulin purification process. Yet, despite these personal clashes, the collective efforts of all four men changed medical history.The story of insulin isn't just about science—it's about persistence, chance, and complex human dynamics. It traces back to 19th-century researchers like Paul Langerhans, who first identified the islets in the pancreas, and German physiologists Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering, who discovered the connection between the pancreas and diabetes.But it was in the laboratory at the University of Toronto where all the strands finally came together. The discovery of insulin remains a striking reminder of how one idea, sparked by curiosity and followed by relentless experimentation, can rewrite the fate of millions. And it all began with one injection in 1922.
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