Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21
TORONTO OPENS INSTITUTE
HONORING INSULIN FINDING
Decade of Discovery Is CeIe-
brated by Starting of
School.
Place of Learning Bears
Name of Or. Banting, Who
Found Cure.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
TORONTO, September 20.-Toronto
is celebrating decade OF inSulin by
opening the Banting Medical Institute.
For the first time in the history of
medicine the decade of a discovery is
universally recognized. All continents
are represented at the celebration.
The period emphasizes the romance
surrounding the discovery of insulin
Ten years ago DR.. Frederick Grant
Banting was known only to his class
mates. Even to them he was not re-
garded as a remarkable student or as a
keen scientist. His natural preference
was toward surgery. The war had
caused him to miss the postgraduate
work considered essential to the scien-
tific side of medicine.
Ten years ago this Fall he conceived
the idea that has already saved thou
sands Of lives. He had no money. He
had just come back from overseas and
had not started practice. He did the
only thing possible exchanged his idea
for fellowship at the University of
Toronto, which brought him laboratory
space, an assistant and $1,000 year.
Others Had Same Idea.
Other men had had the same idea
University circles we're not enthusiastic.
They expected DR.. Banting to slip, too.
Banting had barely enough money to
live on. He added to his income by
doing an odd toSilectomy for classmate
friends practicing near the city.
Charles H. Best, American-born stu
dent at Toronto. after this third year
asked for post in the department of
physiology. He was refused the job,
but was told that Dr. Banting needed an
assistant. There was another opening,
but q friend Of Best's wanted it. They
tossed coin. Best lost the toss, so he
went to work with DR.. Banting. He is
now the youngest professor OF phya-
ology In the world.
Banting and Best plodded on together
In few months other scientists became
interested. In a year their product was
being tested clinically. What became
known as the Toronto group was
formed, and III rapid and effective CO.
operative research insulin was perfected
and proved, ard the world learned that
diabetes had been conquered.
Scientists Accept Discovery.
Other medical scientists accepted the
Toronto discovery and put it into imme-
date practice AS a rule q develop
ment OF the kind takes years to pene-
trate. For instance, two years after
Minot Of Boston discovered that liver
cured perniciDuS anemia the leading
authority on the disease in Germany
died of pernicious anemia.
simultaneously with the definite an
nouncement that inSulin provided a real
remedy for diabetes the University of
Toronto took an unprecedented step and
patented the extract In all countries.
1t placed q moderate royalty on insulin
and provided that the revenue would be
used for medical research. 1t definitely
put the extract out OF reach of ouacks.
but co-operatsd with all universities in
arranging for its speedy manufacture.
Banting continued to work steadily.
His discovery made little difference in
his life. He was still the modest young
doctor and avoided publicity.
Biologists Of the continent held their
convention in Toronto. The centenary
anniversary of Pasteur had arrived. A
special PaSteur dinner was given. The
great hall at Hart House was crowded
with doctors. At the back it was dim
cult to hear. Banting moved from the
back and sat down on the stone floor
in shadow q few feet from the head
table.
And DR.. Banting, unobserved, con-
unued to sit on the floor while the
Pasteur dinner became q Banting cele-
bration and the leading medical re-
search workers of the continent linked
the name Of the young doctor with the
great French scientist. Banting's insu-
lin was hailed as the greatest single