100 years of insulin
The first use of insulin in humans with Type 1 diabetes happened 100 years ago on Tuesday
A hundred years ago this week Leonard Thomson, a 14 year old boy in Canada, was dying in a hospital who had type 1 diabetes which had killed every person in history who had contracted it. His father gave permission for an experimental treatment and he was injected with insulin. At first It didn't work but after they purified it and repeated the injection, Leonard woke up and left hospital. It is one of the world's great dramatic medical advances.
Today's Justin Webb speaks to Dr Rachel Besser, Consultant Paediatrician and research lead for Paediatric diabetes at Oxford Children's Hospital.
(Image credit: Science Photo Library)
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