The human body runs on glucose, a type of sugar that travels through the bloodstream to the cells where it converts into energy. The hormone insulin r

Diabetes and the Miracle of Insulin

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2021-07-31 19:30:09

The human body runs on glucose, a type of sugar that travels through the bloodstream to the cells where it converts into energy. The hormone insulin regulates how glucose is processed and stored. But for the 34.2 million Americans who are diabetic, their bodies are either unable to produce insulin (in type 1 diabetes) or use it effectively (in the more common type 2 diabetes). Without treatment the condition is terminal. The discovery of insulin a century ago this year was one of the great medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.

Diabetes was first recognized some 4,000 years ago. The Ebers Papryus, an Egyptian medical text written around 1550 B.C., refers to patients suffering from thirst, frequent urination and weight loss. An ancient Indian text, the Sushruta Samhita, composed after the 7th century B.C., advised testing for diabetes by seeing whether ants were attracted to the sugar in the urine.

The disproportionate amount of urine experienced by sufferers is probably the reason why the ancient Greeks called it “diabetes,” the word for “siphon” or “to pass through.” They also made the link to lifestyle: The 5th century B.C. physician Hippocrates, the “father of medicine,” advocated exercise as part of the treatment.