Insulin
Insulin was discovered in Toronto in 1921 because a unique mix of an intuitive surgeon's specific hypothesis, a well-equipped university physiology laboratory, and an ethical decision to share the patent made the breakthrough possible. [ 1 , 2 ] Why Toronto in 1921? The Right Idea: Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting had a sudden insight in late 1920 that tying off pancreatic ducts would destroy digestive enzymes before they broke down the internal secretion needed to control blood sugar. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] The Right Institutional Support: Banting took his idea to John J. R. Macleod , a leading professor of physiology at the University of Toronto . Macleod provided Banting with a proper laboratory, experimental dogs, and medical student Charles Best as an assistant for the summer of 1921 . [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Biochemical Expertise: When...