To celebrate fifty years of Diabetes Canada Research, our team, composed of Public History Masters students, were assigned to create social media posts for Banting House for this November. We decided to focus on Dr. Banting’s campaign for funding Canadian research. Grant, Banting House’s dedicated curator, handed us several boxes of newspaper clippings, annual reports, and research notes – and we were off! These were the primary sources for the social media posts we developed.
Questions swirled as we looked through the boxes of newspaper clippings: what was the CNE? Why did Banting speak there? And, most importantly, are there photos?! Lucky for us, there was already a research document on the topic, prepared by Rachel, a former intern at Banting House (throwback to 2019!). The CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) is a fair to showcase advancements in agriculture and science. In 1923, Banting was invited to speak at the opening ceremony of the CNE. Banting went, not for the fame or glory, but to bring “science a little closer to our Canadian people.” He was successful – 46,000 people attended the CNE on the first day alone. He took the opportunity to advocate for the importance of funding Canadian medical research. In a few months, Banting would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine – the first ever to be awarded to Canadian researchers. But what about his colleagues, new graduates, and aspiring scientists? In his speech, he asked the audience: “Our graduates… carry forward the torch of science. They have the ideas, the enthusiasm, and the imagination, – but where are the facilities?” He called Canadians to action that day – to invest in Canadian research to better not only us, but the entire world. Banting continued to advocate for Canadian research funding over the next two decades.
In November 1938, Banting embarked on a tour across Canada, visiting medical research facilities across the country, especially at universities. Among the places he stopped at was London’s Western University. While Banting was teaching at Western in 1920, he realized the potential of insulin in treating diabetes, but due a lack of proper facilities, he had to go to Toronto to do his research. The university built a new medical school building not long after, but Banting still urged for better endowments, hospital facilities, and equipment for the medical school during his visit in 1938. Banting advocated for better research funding at universities across Canada. He expressed concern that Canada’s best scientists were being obliged to travel abroad, including to the United States, in search of support. He noted that some of the country’s researchers were better known abroad than in their own town.
Since Diabetes Canada established its research fund in the 1970s, their researchers across Canada have made over 20 monumental discoveries in all areas of diabetes research. These milestones have changed the way people prevent, diagnose, and treat diabetes around the globe. The issue of funding for diabetes research continues to this day but Diabetes Canada has answered Dr. Banting’s call for support and provided Canadian research facilities with the funds they needed to change the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.
Photo source: “Scientist and Soldiery Share in City’s Homage.” The Globe (Toronto). August 27, 1923.