The History of Insulin

First Chemical Tests for Sugar in Urine

Period: Jan 1, 1800 to Jan 1, 1820

The link between glycogen and diabetes is discovered

Jan 1, 1848

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HIgh doses of sugar are used as treatment for diabetes

Jun 8, 1850

Personalized diets used as treatments

Apr 5, 1870

French scientist noticed a decrease in sugar in the urine of diabetics when the government rationed food. This started the first ideas of individualized diets as a treatment for diabetes.
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Dog pancreas used to study effect on diabetes

Jan 1, 1889

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Pancreatic fluid is injected into patients as treatment

Jan 1, 1908

A 14 year old boy became the first human patient to recieve insulin

Jan 11, 1922

The insulin was extracted from a dog pancreas and injected into the boy by two doctors named Charles Best and Fredrick Banting. This ended up failing, but a better inlulin injection was made by January 22 of the same year tht effectively lowered the boy's blood glucose levels.
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Protamine Zinc Insulin was introduced

Jun 1, 1935

Before, patients had to take two painful injections per day that many times caused abscesses.
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Lente Insulins were introduced

Apr 5, 1954

http://diabetesindogs.wikia.com/wiki/Humulin_Lente

Insulin pumps introduced

Period: Jan 1, 1970 to Jan 1, 1980

Revolutionized the treatment of diabetes as doctors and patients learned to treat diabetes with a basal bolus.

Stem Cells provide a posible cure for diabetes

Apr 6, 2014

Stem cells are used to replace damaged T cells that attack the pancreas of diabetics