Synopses & Reviews
When insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, even jaded professionals marveled at how it brought starved, sometimes comatose diabetics back to life. In this now-classic study, Michael Bliss unearths a wealth of material, ranging from scientists unpublished memoirs to the confidential appraisals of insulin by members of the Nobel Committee. He also resolves a longstanding controversy dating to the awarding of the Nobel to F. G. Banting and J. J. R. Macleod for their work on insulin: because each insisted on sharing the credit with an additional associate, medical opinion was intensely divided over the allotment of credit for the discovery. Bliss also offers a wealth of new detail on such subjects as the treatment of diabetes before insulin and the life-and-death struggle to manufacture it.
The definitive history . . . well written, highly readable.London Review of Books
The story of insulins discovery ought to be a novel . . . but Michael Blisss splendid account is just as absorbing as any fiction.Isis
Blisss excellent account of the insulin story is a rare dissection of the anatomy of scientific discovery, and serves as a model of how rigorous historical method can correct the myths and legends sometimes perpetrated in the scientific literature.New Republic
Scrupulously researched and compellingly readable . . . I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in diabetes, medical history, or medical scandal and gossip.British Medical Journal
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"This story of insulin's discovery ought to be a novel . . . but Michael Bliss's splendid account is just as absorbing as any fiction." Washington Post
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“The Discovery of Insulin is the true tale of the medical and scientific detective work and intrigue that led to what is arguably one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. . . . The story reads like one of Berton Rouches medical detective tales or a Michael Crichton science fiction novel. . . . [A] memorable read by a first rate author and historian.” <\#209> Robert Matz, British Medical Journal Nicholas Wade - The New Republic
Review
"The Discovery of Insulin is the true tale of the medical and scientific detective work and intrigue that led to what is arguably one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. . . . The story reads like one of Berton Rouche's medical detective tales or a Michael Crichton science fiction novel. . . . [A] memorable read by a first rate author and historian." <\#209> Robert Matz, British Medical Journal
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“For diabetics who want to know why they are alive, for doctors, nurses and others who are concerned about diabetes, and for any person who has the slightest curiosity about the way medicine moves, this book will be a joy.”--David Pyke Robert Matz - British Medical Journal
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“Using previously unpublished, suppressed or privately circulated documents, Bliss sets forth the full story of the epochal discovery. It is a tale of frustration, tension and acute personal rivalry. . . . [But] the book has moments of pure delight. Bliss quotes extensively from the letters of one of Bantings first patients, Elizabeth Hughes, the 15-year-old, 45-pound and very brave daughter of U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. We see Banting and Best relaxing in the lab, frying eggs over a Bunsen burner. Thoroughly researched and well written, The Discovery of Insulin deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside such eye-openers as James Watsons The Double Helix and Nicholas Wades The Nobel Duel.”--Peter H. Desmond, The Washington Post Peter H. Desmond
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"Bliss's excellent account of the insulin story is a rare dissection of the anatomy of scientific discovery, and serves as a model of how rigorous historical method can correct the myths and legends sometimes perpetuated in the scientific literature." Isis
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"Twenty-five years ago, the historian Michael Bliss composed his remarkably illuminating recounting of this saga. It has proved to be the definitive account." David Pyke - New Balance
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"The book is so interesting and entertaining that it reads like a cross between a sober Greek tragedy and a riveting detective story." Chris Feudtner - New England Journal of Medicine
Synopsis
When insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, even jaded professionals marveled at how it brought starved, sometimes comatose diabetics back to life. In the twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of a classic, Michael Bliss unearths scientists' memoirs and confidential appraisals of insulin by members of the Nobel Committee. he also resolves a longstanding controversy about scientific collaboration at its most fractious and fascinating: who ultimately deserves credit for the discovery? Bliss's life-and-death saga illuminates one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of medicine.
About the Author
Michael Bliss is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, a recipient of the Order of Canada, and an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is the award-winning author of many books, including William Osler: A Life in Medicine and Harvey Cushing: A Life in Surgery.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: What Happened at Toronto?
1. A Long Parade
2. Banting's Idea
3. The Summer of 1921
4. "A Mysterious Something"
5. Triumph
6. "Unspeakably Wonderful"
7. Resurrection
8. Who Discovered Insulin?
9. Honouring the Prophets
10. A Continuing Epilogue
Notes
Sources
Index