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Before the discovery of insulin, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. One hundred years after a milestone medical discovery, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' tells the story of how insulin was transformed from what one clinician called 'thick brown muck' into the very first drug to be produced using genetic engineering, one which would earn the founders of the US biotech company Genentech a small fortune.
Yet when Canadian doctor Frederick Banting was told in 1923 that he had won the Nobel Prize for this life-saving discovery, he was furious. For the prize had not been awarded to him alone - but jointly with a man whom he felt had no right to this honour. The human story behind this discovery is one of ongoing political and scientific controversy.
Taking the reader on a fascinating journey, starting with the discovery of insulin in the 1920s through to the present day, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' reveals a story of monstrous egos, toxic career rivalries, and a few unsung heroes such as two little known scientists whose work on wool fibres, carried out in a fume-filled former stable, not only proved to be crucial in unravelling the puzzle of insulin but ushered in a revolution in biology.
It was the author's own shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes that prompted him to sit down and write this book, but this story has lessons for us all about what technology can - and more importantly cannot - do for us. As the world pins its hopes on effective and lasting vaccines against Covid-19, these lessons from the story of insulin have never been more relevant.
Preface
Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth?
Introduction
Taming the Tiger
1:The Pissing Evil - a colourful description of diabetes by 17th century English physician Thomas Willis
2:Thick Brown Muck - Canadian scientist Fred Banting wins the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin... and is furious
3:The Vision of Ezekiel - clinicians are stunned at the power of insulin to save lives, but it proves to be a double-edged sword
4:A Greek Tragedy - German clinician Georg Zuelzer snatches defeat from the jaws of victory
5:The Wasp's Nest - insulin proves to be a poisoned chalice for its discoverers
6:Be Careful What You Wish For - the case of Romanian scientist Nicolai Paulesco underlines the truth of an old proverb
7:'In Praise of Wool' - the humble wool fibre sets in motion a revolution in biochemistry
8:A Boastful Undertaking - a discovery made in a fume-filled stable offers the key to unlocking insulin
9:The Blobs That Won a Nobel Prize - or two, all thanks to some coloured spots on a piece of filter paper
10:The Prophet in the Labyrinth - biochemist Erwin Chargaff helps unlock the secrets of DNA, but fears where this may lead
11:The Clone Wars - a conflict in which insulin proves to be a decisive weapon
12:Wall Street Gold - in an act of modern day alchemy, insulin makes stock market history
13:'Don't You Want Cheap Insulin?' - What is it exactly that we want from science? And does the story of insulin have any lessons for us today?
Bibliography
Figures List and Acknowledgements for Images
Acknowledgements
End notes
Description
Before the discovery of insulin, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. One hundred years after a milestone medical discovery, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' tells the story of how insulin was transformed from what one clinician called 'thick brown muck' into the very first drug to be produced using genetic engineering, one which would earn the founders of the US biotech company Genentech a small fortune.
Yet when Canadian doctor Frederick Banting was told in 1923 that he had won the Nobel Prize for this life-saving discovery, he was furious. For the prize had not been awarded to him alone - but jointly with a man whom he felt had no right to this honour. The human story behind this discovery is one of ongoing political and scientific controversy.
Taking the reader on a fascinating journey, starting with the discovery of insulin in the 1920s through to the present day, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' reveals a story of monstrous egos, toxic career rivalries, and a few unsung heroes such as two little known scientists whose work on wool fibres, carried out in a fume-filled former stable, not only proved to be crucial in unravelling the puzzle of insulin but ushered in a revolution in biology.
It was the author's own shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes that prompted him to sit down and write this book, but this story has lessons for us all about what technology can - and more importantly cannot - do for us. As the world pins its hopes on effective and lasting vaccines against Covid-19, these lessons from the story of insulin have never been more relevant.
