Timeline

Frederick Banting is born in Alliston, Ontario, Canada.

Banting begins his studies at the University of Toronto, earning a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Medicine

Banting serves as a medical officer in the Canadian Army during World War I

Banting begins his research on diabetes at the University of Toronto.

Banting and his research assistant Charles Best successfully isolate insulin from the pancreas of dogs

Banting and Best’s discovery of insulin leads to the first successful treatment of diabetes in humans

Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy with diabetes, was near death when he was treated with insulin in 1922. The insulin treatment was successful, and Leonard’s life was saved. He became the first person to be treated with insulin, and his case helped to establish insulin as a safe and effective treatment for diabetes. Elizabeth Hughes was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 11 in 1919 and treated with insulin by Dr. Frederick Allen in 1922. Insulin was a new and experimental treatment at the time, and Dr. Allen was one of the first doctors in the United States to use it to treat diabetes. Theodore Ryder was a 14-year-old boy who was one of the first patients to be treated with insulin. He was suffering from diabetes, and his condition was severe

Banting and Best are awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of insulin

Banting married Marion Robertson. Banting was still in the Toronto area after discovering insulin, and Marion worked as an X-Ray technician at Toronto General Hospital. The two had one son, William, in 1929 and were divorced in 1932. This was quite unusual for the time and caused quite a stir!

Banting establishes the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre at the University of Toronto

Banting becomes a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Banting served as head of both the Canadian Associate Committee on Aviation Medicine Research and the Canadian Associate Committee on Medical Research

Banting dies in a plane crash in Newfoundland, Canada, while serving as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II