Tech History Made on January 11, 1922

On this day in 1922 the first diabetes patient was treated with insulin. The 14 year old Leonard Thompson's terrible condition greatly improved as he regained his strength and energy. The research for insulin had begun many years before when doctors noticed that if an animal 's pancreas was removed it would develop diabetes. Doctors began extracting fluid from the blotches on the pancreas. These blotches turned out to be the hormone insulin that would save the lives of millions. Even though, in saving the life of Leonard , the Toronto General Hospital had not found a cure, it had finally found an effective treatment.