Research Profile - The Discovery of Insulin: a Great Canadian Story

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The discovery of insulin was one of the major scientific advances of the early 20th century. It was not the product of serendipity at the hands of gifted amateurs. Rather, it was the result of a well-funded (by the standards of the time) multidisciplinary team.

"It was a great Canadian story and it says much about what our country was like in the 1920s," observed Dr. Michael Bliss, professor emeritus of history at the University of Toronto (U of T). "It points out messages that are still valid today."

In reality, says Dr. Bliss, the discovery of insulin depended greatly on the prior build-up, with both public funds and private donations, of a strong research capacity at U of T. "Some think the discovery of insulin was the cause [of U of T's research strength] but it was almost the reverse," he says. "The discovery was the result of Canadians' early enthusiasm for medical research."

This support for research was no fluke. It reflected a firm belief held by many Canadians, Bliss contends, that medical research could make people's lives better, and so they funded top-notch medical schools and research facilities. "The view was that 'great things are possible in research and let's see if we can do them here in Canada,'" said Bliss.

That's why, when Frederick Banting, a young war veteran practicing medicine in London, Ontario, went back to his alma mater with his ideas on diabetes research, he was able to meet a world expert in the field, J.J.R. Macleod – a Scottish-born and German-trained physiologist. A very talented young biochemist named Bertram Collip and a medical student named Charles Best also joined the project.

Research then as now, Bliss observes, was very much an international affair. Borders didn't matter greatly. Private U.S. foundations like Carnegie and Rockefeller actively funded research in Canada – including the Banting and Best project. "Talent and expertise flowed freely, like in sports today, where nobody cares where a good player comes from," Bliss said.

The university for its part found a U.S. drug company, Eli Lilly and Co., to assist in producing insulin in sufficient quantities for clinical trials – something no Canadian company could do. It was a partnership that benefited both sides – Lilly became a major supplier of insulin over the years – and without Lilly, the Toronto group would not have be able to conduct successful clinical trials of insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

That success was the peak of Banting's career as a researcher. He shared the 1923 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Macleod, and became one of the most famous people in Canada. His laboratory at U of T never duplicated the success of the insulin discovery.

When war was declared again in 1939, he re-enlisted in the army and served his country as senior administrator for medical research related to the war effort. While flying to England in early 1941, his plane crashed in Newfoundland, killing him along with most of the crew.

Never comfortable with the limelight and glory, he finished his life doing what he believed in most: serving his country and fellow Canadians.