Laura Vroom

Childhood

• He was born on Feb. 27, 1899 in West Pembroke, Maine. His parents were Canadian citizens

College life• Charles Best went to

the University of Toronto

• He then went into the army and became a sergeant in WWI.

• When he went back to the University of Toronto Best his major was biology and science.

First Meetings

• Finally Frederick Banting and Charles Best met through John Macleod. They decided to try to work on finding a way to treat diabetes

Experiments

• Banting was convinced that the pancreas was where the cure would be. He tested a procedure on a dog.

Experiments cont.• Banting was

convinced that if you could isolate the pancreas it could produce insulin which would keep the sugar level down.

Experiments cont..

• They were ready to extract on July 30. Banting would do the surgery and Best would do the test on the sugar level in the blood and urine

Experiments cont..

• They tested the insulin by taking out the pancreas and they created the extract by chopping up the pancreas and grinded it.

Experiments cont.• The experiment

worked!the blood sugar went down from .20 to .12 in an hour,and then down to .11.

Experiments cont.

• The dog died days later because of an impurity in the extract, but Macleod hired James Bertram Collip, a biochemist to help purify it.

Experiments cont.• They wrote their first

paper called “The Internal Section of the Pancreas” which was published. It appeared in the February 1922 issue of the “Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine”

First Human Experiment• Their first patient was

Leonard Thompson, who was 14 years old in 1922

• He had diabetes for two years and was so weak his weight was down to 65 pounds. He was expected to only live a couple more weeks.

First human patient cont.• Best and Banting

tested the insulin on themselves first to make sure there were no side effects.

• After impurity problems with the insulin, Thompson became better and lived until dying in a motorcycle accident.

Nobel Prize• Banting and Macleod

got the Nobel Prize in 1923 in physiology and medicine.

• Banting thought that Best deserved the prize as well so he split the money with Best equally. Macleod split his money with Collip

Achievements in College

• Best got his M.A. in 1922

• He got his M.D. in 1925

• He was awarded the Ellen Mickle Fellowship for highest standing in the medical course

Later achievements

• After he got married to Margaret Mahon in 1924, they and their two sons went to England.

Research• His research was

done in the laboratory of Sir Henry Dale in London. Best discovered histaminase (anti-allergic enzyme and received his doctorate from University of Toronto in 1927

More Discoveries• Best did research on

choline and found out it prevented fatty livers.

• He also did research on herapin which could prevent blood clods in WWII

More Discoveries

• He supplied dried blood serum to the wounded fighting and in 1941 he became the director of medical research unit of Canadian navy.

Work at University of Toronto

• Charles Best was the head of the department of hygiene till 1941.

• When Macleod retired in 1929, Best became chair of the department of physiology until 1965.

Life after work

• He retired from University of Toronto in 1965, and in 1966 Best’s parents house became a cultural landmark.

Death

• In March 1978, one of Best’s sons died of a heart attack

• Hours later, Best collapsed of a ruptured blood vessel

• He died on March 31, 1978 at Toronto General Hospital

Awards and Achievements

• Charles Best was praised by the Queen of England, the Pope and other important figures. He received many medals as well

Awards and Achievements cont.

• He wrote many scientific articles and was a co-author of a physiology text book.

Awards and Achievements cont.

• Some of the books were: ‘The internal secretion of the pancreas’ (1922), ‘The physiological Basis of medical practice’(1937), ‘The living body’(1952), and ‘The human body, its anatomy and physiology’(1956)

Achievements and Awards

• Best became the chairman of Banting and Best Department when Banting died

• He was elected a fellow of the royal society of London, and the Royal society of Canada

Achievements and Awards

• Best has been honored on stamps in the countries Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Uruguay, and Kuwait

Facts About Diabetes

• 18.2 million people of the U.S. population have diabetes

• Over 15 million diabetics today could have died early if it wasn’t for insulin

Facts About Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes people have to have insulin injected or pumped

• Type 2 diabetes people have to follow a special diet and exercise program, and take oral medication

• Most diabetics have to take medications for cholesterol and blood levels

About Me• I love to do sports like

soccer and track• I also love to eat

foods like: Popsicle's strawberries, watermelon, and pasta!

• I love to shop and hang out with friends!