Yeet 4 YEAHHH YEET Mr. Maiorano CHC2D1 10 April 2015 How Dr. Frederick Banting Defined Canada All nations attribute the positive aspects of their current status to significant events and achievements accomplished by outstanding citizens throughout history. Canada boasts of heroes and heroines who transformed its own history and that of the world at large. In 1922, one such historical figure by the name of Dr. Frederick Banting became a significant icon in the history of Canada and had managed to define a major part of both what it means to be Canadian and what Canada means to the world. Prior to Dr. Banting’s breakthrough discovery, diabetes often meant a very serious illness signifying the end of life. Dr. Banting had managed to change this brutal reality into one wherein diabetes can be treated and managed through his development of insulin. Through making such an important advancement in medical science, Dr. Banting had most defined the progressive, compassionate, and globally important nation of Canada that we know today. Through a series of experiments that Dr. Banting and his team began in 1921, patients with Type 1 diabetes have since been given hope of living through their condition (Sherman). Their research relied on an earlier discovery on the two roles of pancreas in the body; that is, produce digestive juices and secrete a substance that seemed to regulate glucose level in the bodies of animals (“The Discovery of Insulin”). The glucose regulating substance became the key in treatment of patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes. Dr. Banting discovered that he could transfer this substance from the pancreas of one dog and inject it to another whose ability to regulate glucose levels had artificially been altered (“The Discovery of Insulin”). The results were groundbreaking and the diabetic dogs responded well to the injections, marking a major step forward in diabetes research (“The Discovery of Insulin”). Through the help of Professor John Macleod of the University of Toronto, they were able to continue their research (“The Discovery of Insulin”). Finally, in January of 1922, testing Dr. Banting’s developments in diabetes treatment on human beings had finally been completed and the results led to the ultimate development of the insulin treatment that is still used to this day (Simoni, Hill and Vaughan 31). Dr. Banting’s research and subsequent discoveries have allowed people suffering from Type 1 diabetes throughout the world to have a chance at living healthier and happier lives. Although his work had not entirely led to a cure for the disease, it had certainly improved quality and duration of life for those suffering from it (Sherman). As an estimated 2 million people in Canada over the age of one year were known to be living with diabetes in 2006-2007 and around 10% of these patients were suffering from Type 1 diabetes, Dr. Banting’s work lives on to define his legacy and his contributions to both his country and to the world as.

1. Yeet 4
YEAHHH YEET
Mr. Maiorano
CHC2D1
10 April 2015
How Dr. Frederick Banting Defined Canada
All nations attribute the positive aspects of their current status
to significant events and achievements accomplished by
outstanding citizens throughout history. Canada boasts of
heroes and heroines who transformed its own history and that of
the world at large. In 1922, one such historical figure by the
name of Dr. Frederick Banting became a significant icon in the
history of Canada and had managed to define a major part of
both what it means to be Canadian and what Canada means to
the world. Prior to Dr. Banting’s breakthrough discovery,
diabetes often meant a very serious illness signifying the end of
life. Dr. Banting had managed to change this brutal reality into
one wherein diabetes can be treated and managed through his
development of insulin. Through making such an important
advancement in medical science, Dr. Banting had most defined
the progressive, compassionate, and globally important nation
of Canada that we know today.
Through a series of experiments that Dr. Banting and his team
began in 1921, patients with Type 1 diabetes have since been
given hope of living through their condition (Sherman). Their
research relied on an earlier discovery on the two roles of
pancreas in the body; that is, produce digestive juices and
secrete a substance that seemed to regulate glucose level in the
bodies of animals (“The Discovery of Insulin”). The glucose
regulating substance became the key in treatment of patients
suffering from Type 1 diabetes. Dr. Banting discovered that he
could transfer this substance from the pancreas of one dog and
inject it to another whose ability to

2. regulate glucose levels had artificially been altered (“The
Discovery of Insulin”). The results were groundbreaking and the
diabetic dogs responded well to the injections, marking a major
step forward in diabetes research (“The Discovery of Insulin”).
Through the help of Professor John Macleod of the University
of Toronto, they were able to continue their research (“The
Discovery of Insulin”). Finally, in January of 1922, testing Dr.
Banting’s developments in diabetes treatment on human beings
had finally been completed and the results led to the ultimate
development of the insulin treatment that is still used to this
day (Simoni, Hill and Vaughan 31).
Dr. Banting’s research and subsequent discoveries have allowed
people suffering from Type 1 diabetes throughout the world to
have a chance at living healthier and happier lives. Although his
work had not entirely led to a cure for the disease, it had
certainly improved quality and duration of life for those
suffering from it (Sherman). As an estimated 2 million people in
Canada over the age of one year were known to be living with
diabetes in 2006-2007 and around 10% of these patients were
suffering from Type 1 diabetes, Dr. Banting’s work lives on to
define his legacy and his contributions to both his country and
to the world as a whole (Sherman). Through providing the world
with a means of controlling what was once such a deadly
disease, Dr. Frederick Banting had managed to define Canada as
a nation interested in the improvement of quality of life for all
people, one that was interested in progression and focus on
helping those that are suffering. Canada maintains much of this
image today, and Dr. Banting is among the few that have most
contributed to defining this image of Canada as a nation.
Dr. Banting’s research and discoveries have also helped to fuel
the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in Canada and in the
rest of the world, which itself has come to be
responsible in assisting the ill to treat their diseases and
disorders, and finding new treatments to those illnesses that
have yet to see effective treatment or a cure (Sherman). Today,
largely in part due to Dr. Banting’s contribution to medical

3. science and the advancement of medical institutions in Canada,
it has become is a country recognized for its superb health care
system and for its significant role in continued research and
medical advancements, with numerous top notch institutions
that serve to prove this point, such as the Canadian Institute of
Health Research. However, Dr. Banting’s contributions to
medicine had impacts stretching even beyond health care and
medicine, as his work had also contributed to improving
relations with other countries in need of the insulin treatment,
again working to define Canada as a friendly and respected
nation in the international community.
The discovery of insulin was and is still important to Canada, as
it shows our ability to contribute to innovation and societal
progression. The Flame of Hope in honor of Dr. Frederick
Banting’s discovery is an eternal flame that reminds the entire
world of the contribution that insulin treatment has had to
controlling diabetes, and provides a symbol of hope that a cure
will be found soon (Shapiro 1400). Researchers today stand on
the foundation laid by Dr. Banting as they work towards
studying the various impacts of diabetes and developing means
to prevent, cure and manage complicated cases associated with
diabetes (Dawson, Blanchard, Gomes, Kahler, and Gerstein
1304). This again allows Canada to stand out among the nations
of the world in the fight against diseases, defined as a country
that cares a great deal about advancing in the fields of science
and medicine among other equally important fields. Thanks to
Dr. Frederick Banting, that definition is codified in our
country’s history and lingers on today.
Dr. Banting’s work in developing the insulin treatment method
relied upon by diabetics throughout the world for the past few
decades has allowed him to be among those that most defined
Canada as a nation of progression, compassion, and
international importance. The greatest wealth one can ever
possess is certainly good health, which Dr. Banting has done a
great deal to secure for so many people that suffer from
diabetes. Any effort that builds towards better health is very

4. important towards the development and progression of any
country. The efforts of this great Canadian to provide the world
with insulin treatment has been one of the most significant
innovations in medical history, and its impact on diabetics' lives
has changed the world and how the world sees and defines
Canada in a profound way.
Works Cited
Dawson, K. G., D. Gomes, H. Gerstein, J. F. Blanchard, and K.
H. Kahler. "The Economic Cost
of Diabetes in Canada, 1998." Diabetes Care 25.8 (2002): 1303-
307. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
"The Discovery of Insulin." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB,
n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
Shaprio, James. "Eighty Years after Insulin: Parallels with
Modern Islet
Transplantation." CMAJ 167.12 (2002): 1398-400. Web. 6 Apr.
2015.
Sherman, Philip M. "Research Profiles - Insulin at 90: Banting
and Best's Scientific
Legacy." Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Government
of Canada, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
Simoni, Robert D., Robert L. Hill, and Martha Vaughan. "The
Discovery of Insulin: The Work
of Frederick Banting and Charles Best." The Journal of
Biological Chemistry 277.26 (2002): 31-32. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.