Diabetes History

8/11/2019 Diabetes History

1/5

Diabetes History

Diabetes has been with us for a long time. Heres diabetes history in a convenient timeline.

1552 BCWritten on a 3rd Dynasty Egyptian papyrus, physician Hesy-Ra mentions frequent urination as a

symptom. This is the earliest known record of diabetes.

1500 BCAncient Hindu writings note that ants are attracted to the urine of people with a mysterious

emaciating disease.

500 BCThe first descriptions of sugar in the urine and its occurrence in obese individuals.

250 BCApollonius of Memphis is credited with coining the term diabetes, meaning to go through, or

siphon, for a disease that drains patients of more fluid than they can consume.

1st Century ADThe Greeks describe the disease as a melting down of the flesh and limbs into urine.

164 ADGreek physician, Galen of Pergamum, diagnoses diabetes as a kidney ailment.

Up to 11th CenturySince the urine of people with diabetes is thought to be sweet tasting, diagnosis is often

made by water tasters who drink the urine of those suspected of having diabetes. Mellitus, the Latin word for

honey, is added to the term diabetes.

16th CenturyParacelsus identifies diabetes as a serious general disorder.

For thousands of years, no one knows how to live with diabetes, let alone treat or cure it. Chil dren with

diabetes often die within days of onset and older people deal with devastating complications. Remedies

range from herbs to bleeding.

1776Dobson finds a substance like brown sugar in appearance and taste when diabetic urine evaporates. He

also notes a sweetish taste of sugar in the blood of diabetics. He observes that, for some people, diabetes is

fatal in less than five weeks and, for others, is a chronic condition. This is the first time that a distinction

between Type 1 and Type 2 has been made.

1797Rollo applies the first significant dietary approach to the treatment of diabetes. He successfully treats a

patient using a high fat and protein diet after observing that sugar in the urine increases after eating starchy

food.

1798Rollo documents excess sugar in the blood, as well as the urine.

Early 1800sResearchers develop the first chemical tests to indicate and measure the presence of sugar in

the urine.

1848Bernard discovers that glycogen is formed by the liver and speculates that this is the same sugar found

in the urine of diabetics. This is the first linking of diabetes and glycogen metabolism.

Late 1850sThe French physician, Priorry, advises diabetes patients to eat extra large quantities of sugar as a

treatment. Oops! This wont be the last time that strange and unhelpful treatments for diabetes will be tried.


2/5


3/5

1921Paulescu, a distinguished Romanian scientist, publishes an article describing his successful isolation of

pancreine insulin.

1921Insulin is discovered. A de-pancreatized dog is successfully treated with insulin.

1921Banting presents The Beneficial Influences of Certain Pancreatic Extracts on Pancreatic Diabetes,

summarizing his work at a session of the American Physiological Society at Yale University.

1922In Toronto, one of Collips insulin extracts is tested on a human being, a 14-year-old boy named

Leonard Thompson. This test is considered a success by the end of the following February.

1922Eli Lilly and the University of Toronto strike a deal for the mass production of insulin in North

America.

1923Banting and his colleague, Macleod, are awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Banting

shares his award with Best; Macleod shares his with Collip.

While insulin can prevent ear ly death from diabetic coma, insulin treatment does not prevent the chronic,

disabl ing and sometimes deadly compl icat ions of the disease.1923Eli Lilly begins commercial production of insulin. The Toronto group calls the substance insulin;Eli

Lilly calls their product Isletin Insulin.

1925Home testing for sugar in the urine is introduced. Eight drops of urine is mixed in a test tube with 6 cc

of Benedicts solution provided by the doctor. The tube is put into boiling water for five minutes. The color of

the liquid indicates the presence of sugar: greenish (light sugar), yellow (moderate) or red/orange (heavy).

1930sInsulin is further refined. Protamine zinc insulin, a long acting insulin that provides greater flexibility

for diabetics, is introduced. (It actually remained on the market until several years ago.)

1936Research by Himsworth (UK) divides diabetics into two types based on insulin sensitivity.

1940sThe connection is made between diabetes and long-term complications such as kidney and eye

disease.

1944A uniform insulin syringe is developed and diabetes management becomes more standardized.

By 1945, a newly diagnosed 10-year-old has a li fe expectancy of 45 years; a 30-year-old has 30.5 more

years; and a 50-year-old might have 16 more years to live.

1948Joslin writes about the unknown diabetic in Postgraduate Medicine. Although a million people are

known to have diabetes, he speculates a million more have it but dont know it. He is the first expert to

emphasize that insulin alone cannot solve all diabetes-related issues.

Late1940s

Helen Free develops the dip-and-read urine test (Clinistix), allowing instant monitoring ofblood glucose levels.

1950sSpecialists still recommend against marriage for people with hereditary diabetes.

1951Lawrence and Bornstein measure the amount of insulin in the blood. They find that older and obese

patients with diabetes do have insulin, but those who are young have none.

1955Oral drugs that help lower blood glucose levels are introduced.


4/5

1959Two major types of diabetes are recognized: Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and Type 2 (non-

insulin-dependent) diabetes.

1960sHome testing for glucose levels in the urine increases the level of control for people with diabetes.

1964The first strips for testing blood glucose are used. A drop of blood is placed on the paper strip for 1

minute, and then washed off. Comparing the color to a color chart provides a rough indication of blood glucose

levels.

1965Instant glucose is developed.

1966Doctors at the University of Manitoba perform the first pancreas transplant.

1970First blood glucose meter (Ames) is introduced. It is intended for use in doctors offices and costs

around $500.

1970Insulin pumps are developed.

The development of testing equipment and supplies provides patients with much greater control and

fl exibi li ty in the management of their diabetes.1970Laser therapy is used to help slow or prevent blindness resulting from diabetes.

1973U-100 insulin is introduced.

1976HbA1c test is introduced.

1978Testing of the first recombinant DNA insulin is announced.

Unti l this date manufacturers of insuli n have had to stockpil e animal pancreatic tissue. This changes

dramatically wi th the development of DNA technology that allows the manuf acturing of a genetically

engineered humantype of insuli n.

1978The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is established to increase knowledge and

understanding about diabetes among patients, health care professionals and the general public.

1983The first biosynthetic human insulin is introduced.

1983Reflolux, later known as Accu-Chek, is introduced allowing relatively easy and accurate blood

glucose self-monitoring.

1986Insulin pen delivery system is introduced.

1990Defeat Diabetes Foundation established to address the issue of prevention, which was not being met by

existing diabetes related organizations.

1993The landmark clinical trial Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) publishes its report. The

study clearly demonstrates that more active self-management through nutrition, activity and monitoring ofglucose levels (and adjustments) delays the onset and progression of long-term complications in Type 1

individuals. The study results shows proper management reduces risk complications significantly for eye

disease (76%), kidney disease (50%) and nerve disease (60%).

1993Instant Glucose tablets are introduced.

1996The FDA approves the first recombinant DNA human insulin analogue, lispro (Humalog).


5/5

Diabetes History

Documents

Transcript of Diabetes History