The Discovery of Insulin

Throughout the 18th though the 19th centuries, physicians began to gain a greater understanding of the biology of diabetes. By the late 19th century, the substance that was deficient in diabetes (still unknown at that point) was identified as being produced by the pancreas and specific areas of the pancreas (the islet cells) were thought to be the ones deficient in diabetes. Other researchers made progress in identifying this substance but the final credit for discovering insulin is given to Frederick Banting and Charles Best, working in Toronto, Canada. The first insulin treatment was done by Banting and Best in Toronto in 1922. They successfully treated a 14-year old boy with Type 1 diabetes.