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The discovery of insulin is often told as one of medicine’s greatest miracle stories—but the truth is far more complex. In this episode, we break down the real history behind insulin’s discovery, the team that made it possible, and the patients whose lives were forever changed… if they were lucky enough to access it.

From the lab work of Banting, Best, Collip, and Gilchrist to the first human trials, we explore how insulin went from experimental therapy to life-saving treatment. But we also challenge the iconic narrative—did children really wake from diabetic comas overnight? And who was left behind?

This is the story of innovation, hope, and the uncomfortable reality of privilege in early 20th-century medicine.

📚 References

1. Connected in Motion. (n.d.). The firsts: Stories of the earliest users of insulin. https://www.connectedinmotion.ca/blog/the-firsts-stories-of-the-earliest-users-of-insulin/
2. Defining Moments Canada. (n.d.). Early patients. https://definingmomentscanada.ca/insulin100/history/early-patients/
3. Nobel Prize Outreach. (2024, November 13). The “miracle” discovery that reversed the diabetes death sentence. https://www.nobelprize.org/the-miracle-discovery-that-reversed-the-diabetes-death-sentence/
4. OnlineMedEd. (n.d.). The wild, rarely told story of the discovery of insulin. https://www.onlinemeded.com/blog/the-wild-rarely-told-story-of-the-discovery-of-insulin