The Discovery of Insulin - Softcover

Bliss, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226058999 ISBN 13: 9780226058993

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2007

Synopsis

Rare book

About this title

Review:

"This story of insulin''s discovery ought to be a novel . . . but Michael Bliss''s splendid account is just as absorbing as any fiction."

"Bliss''s excellent account of the insulin story is a rare dissection of the anatomy of scientific discovery, and serves as a model of how rigorous historical method can correct the myths and legends sometimes perpetuated in the scientific literature."--Nicholas Wade, "The New Republic

"For diabetics who want to know why they are alive, for doctors, nurses and others who are concerned about diabetes, and for any person who has the slightest curiosity about the way medicine moves, this book will be a joy."--;/div>--David Pyke "New Balance "

"Twenty-five years ago, the historian Michael Bliss composed his remarkably illuminating recounting of this saga. It has proved to be the definitive account."--Chris Feudtner "New England Journal of Medicine "

""The Discovery of Insulin" is the true tale of the medical and scientific detective work and intrigue that led to what is arguably one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. . . . The story reads like one of Berton Rouche's medical detective tales or a Michael Crichton science fiction novel. . . . [A] memorable read by a first rate author and historian." Robert Matz, "British Medical Journal--Robert Matz "British Medical Journal "

"Using previously unpublished, suppressed or privately circulated documents, Bliss sets forth the full story of the epochal discovery. It is a tale of frustration, tension and acute personal rivalry. . . . [But] the book has moments of pure delight. Bliss quotes extensively from the letters of one of Banting's first patients, Elizabeth Hughes, the 15-year-old, 45-pound and very brave daughter of U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. We see Banting and Best relaxing in the lab, frying eggs over a Bunsen burner. Thoroughly researched and well written, "The Discovery of Insulin" deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside such eye-openers as James Watson's "The Double Helix" and Nicholas Wade's "The Nobel Duel"."--;I>The Washington Post"--Peter H. Desmond "Washington Post "

Synopsis:

When insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, even jaded professionals marveled at how it brought starved, sometimes comatose diabetics back to life. In this now-classic history, Michael Bliss unearths a wealth of material, ranging from the unpublished memoirs of scientists to the confidential appraisals of insulin by members of the Nobel Committee. He also resolves a long-standing controversy that dates back to the awarding of the Nobel to F. G. Banting and J. J. R. Macleod for their work on insulin: because each insisted on sharing the prize with an additional associate, medical opinion was intensely divided over the allotment of credit for the discovery. Bliss also offers a wealth of new detail on such subjects as the treatment of diabetes before insulin and the life-and-death struggle to manufacture it.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0226058999
• ISBN 13: 9780226058993
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320