Banting and Best discover insulin
C.H. Best and F.G. Banting. University of Toronto Library, P10103
January 23, 1922
On January 23, 1922, Frederick Banting and Charles Best injected insulin into a 14-year-old boy dying of diabetes. The first human diabetic patient to be injected with insulin — a hormone that regulates blood-sugar levels — the boy recovered. Banting and Best had been conducting experiments using insulin since May 1921, but now had a life-saving therapy for the millions of people afflicted with diabetes. In 1923, Banting and J.J.R. Macleod were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology; Banting shared his portion of the prize money with Best.
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