The History of Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

The history of the recognition and the treatment of diabetes is outlined in this chapter. The earliest reports date back more than 3000 years describing a fatal disease associated with uncontrolled urine loss. The true understanding of diabetes, however, really only emerged early in the 20th century, and the seminal and Nobel prize-winning work of Banting and Best transformed a consistently fatal disease into a condition that was both understood and treatable by the newly found insulin. However, optimal treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes continued to be a challenge. Over the century following the discovery, research has shown the structure and functional characteristics of insulin and many aspects of β-cell and cellular function. This has allowed the development of a wide pharmacological armory. The progress, the trials, and the individuals responsible for the advances are described in this chapter.

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