Medicine 1923 War on Diabetes

War on Diabetes

The campaign against diabetes mellitus continues unabated, and new light on its treatment is revealed with surprising frequency. The general tendency of diabetes mortality has been upward for fully 20 years. In New York State it now hovers around 22 per 100,000, which is higher than measles or diphtheria.

“Insulin,” perhaps the most widely heralded medical discovery of the past year, continues to show promise, though its originators claim only that it has alleviated some cases and enabled patients to assimilate a more normal diet.

Insulin was evolved by Drs. J. J. R. Macleod and F. G. Banting, of the physiological department, University of Toronto. It is extracted from the pancreas glands of sheep or beeves.