Thread by @uoftmedicine

Before 1921, for people with diabetes, the prospects were grim. Listen and see what it was like for patients who received insulin and had their lives saved. A thread. 👇
bit.ly/3lKWIPI #insulin100 1/17

Inspiration for insulin struck Dr. Frederick Banting in the middle of the night in Oct 1920 after he’d prepared a lecture on the pancreas – the organ responsible for producing the hormone. Almost 100yrs has passed since the discovery of insulin at @UofT 2/17

Once unknown scientists, Drs. Frederick Banting & Charles Best have since become household names in Canada. What’s less familiar is how life has changed for people with diabetes due to insulin. 3/17

In 1920s, for patients with diabetes, the disease was life-threatening. It was known as the “wasting disease” due to severe weight loss. These photographs are from the papers of Banting & Best. 4/17

Not everyone believed in the power of insulin. Take one anonymous British newspaper correspondent, who declared themsleves to be a “bit of a skeptic” about insulin in 1923. The correspondent had diabetes, and their attitude shifted once they had injected the hormone. 5/17

Leonard Thompson of Toronto was the first person with diabetes to receive insulin injections. The 13-year-old was admitted to Toronto General Hospital in December 1921 & discharged in May 1922. 6/17

The process wasn’t perfect – the first injection of Thompson didn’t work, but led to improvements on the production of insulin and later improvements in Thompson’s health. The chart notes that in January 1922, Thompson weighed just 64 pounds. 7/17

Among the people to reach out to Banting was Dr. Morton Ryder, a physician in NY state, whose nephew, 5yr old Teddy Ryder, was dying of diabetes. Teddy & his mom travelled from New Jersey to Toronto in 1922 for Teddy to receive insulin treatments. 8/17

You can listen to Anne Pritchard, Teddy Ryder's niece, reflect on Teddy's story 🔊 bit.ly/32RYTd5 9/17

In a matter of weeks of his arrival to Toronto and the commencement of treatment, Ryder began to gain weight. Three months after beginning insulin injections, he returned back to New Jersey and went from being a sickly, emaciated child to a self-described “fat boy.” 10/17

Through the years, Ryder and Banting developed a friendship and remained in touch. 11/17

In 1990, at the age of 73, Ryder returned to Canada to help open an exhibit at @UofT, hosted by the Department of Physiology. In 1993, Ryder died. At the time of his death, Ryder had taken insulin longer than any other person in history. bit.ly/32WR7hW 12/17

Part of the enduring legacy of Banting’s discovery was the commitment to keeping insulin affordable to all. Rather than sell the patent to private entities, the rights were sold to @UofT for $1.
13/17

One letter in @UofT’s archives details the commitment to affordability in no uncertain terms. Banting wrote of a man who approached him about selling the patent for insulin to a group on Wall Street. But, Banting refused. 14/17

Today, diabetes care continues to be transformed with advances in technology such as ‘looping.’ Loopers control their own care through a system where their insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor and open-source software work together to regulate a person’s blood sugar. 15/17

Ally Gasco & her teen daughter have type 1 diabetes. Gasco's been ‘looping’ for about 18 months. The system isn’t approved by medical regulators or recommended by health care providers, though they may support their patients’ choice to use it. 16/17

People with diabetes have hope that technological and scientific innovations will change the way they manage the disease. But, to date, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. One hundred years from now, maybe a cure will exist. 17/17