It seems like every few months, big pharmaceutical companies tout a new “wonder drug”. Some of these so-called wonder drugs do little more than line the pockets of the drug industry. But, a new exhibit at the New York Historical Society is saluting the world's first true Miracle Drug. Insulin.
Injectable insulin was first isolated in 1931 by a team of Canadians. With the advent of insulin, dying children were suddenly cured. It turned a deadly disease into a treatable chronic condition that patients struggle with throughout their lives.
In addition to the exhibit, a new book called “Breakthrough” by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsbert also covers the invention of insulin. The book deals with the complicated questions that arose along with the miracle treatment. Questions like, who will get the medicine first? Who will pay for it and who will make enough for everyong?
Without insulin, the body isn't able to use glucose, which is the body's main fuel. Children who develop diabetis lack insulin completely, while adult onset diabetes are primarily resistant to insulin's action in the body. Whichever it is, sugar and starch turns into poison in the body of a diabetic, building excess amounts of glucose in the blood stream. The glucose is passed in the urine and the blood cells starve because they aren't able to use the fuel. The first tell tale symptoms of the disease are extreme thirst and a never satisfied appetite, caused by the body reacting to the lack of fuel.
Before insulin was available to patients, doctors understood the disorder but the treatment was just a band aid. Diabetics were put on strict diets of salad and eggs, along with no sugar or starch and the bare minimum amount of calories they need to survive. The patients became emaciated. It was only by keeping this strict diet that they were able to keep from having excess glucose in their blood and urine.
It is interesting to look back and see how a medical advance that we tend to take for granted, changed the fates of millions of people. The exhibit “ Breakthrough: The Dramatic Story of the Discovery of Insulin” is running from Oct 11th to Jan. 31st at the New York Historical Society, 2 West 77th street, New York.
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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