The end of a millennia-old death sentence for diabetes

History · Published 8 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before the 1920s, a diagnosis of diabetes was effectively a terminal sentence. It took a volatile collaboration in Toronto and a desperate 14-year-old boy to break a medical stalemate that had persisted since the time of the ancient Egyptians.

The history of diabetes is one of the oldest in medicine, with first mentions appearing in ancient Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese texts. As early as 1552 BC, the Ebers Papyrus suggested treatments involving decoctions of bones, wheat, and green lead. By 400–500 AD, Indian physicians like Sushruta and Charaka were already distinguishing between what we now know as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, referring to the condition as 'madhumeha' or 'honey urine.'

Despite these early observations, the 'pre-insulin era' was defined by frustration. Patients were often placed on strict diets that could only manage symptoms, not the underlying pathology. This changed in 1920s Toronto, where a team of four researchers—including a country doctor and a world-renowned research physician—worked through internal friction to isolate insulin. Their success turned a fatal condition into a manageable chronic disease.

The clinical turning point arrived in January 1922. Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy weighing only 65 lbs and drifting in and out of consciousness, became the first human to receive an insulin injection. While the initial attempt failed, subsequent doses showed immediate improvement, with medical records noting he became brighter and stronger. This breakthrough was so significant that it earned a Nobel Prize in 1923. Today, insulin remains a cornerstone of treatment for over 400 million people worldwide.

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