Laura Vroom
Childhood
• He was born on
Feb. 27, 1899 in
West Pembroke,
Maine. His
parents were
Canadian citizens
College life
• Charles Best went to
the University of
Toronto
• He then went into the
army and became a
sergeant in WWI.
• When he went back to
the University of
Toronto Best his
major was biology
and science.
First Meetings
• Finally Frederick
Banting and
Charles Best met
through John
Macleod. They
decided to try to
work on finding a
way to treat
diabetes
Experiments
• Banting was
convinced that
the pancreas
was where the
cure would be.
He tested a
procedure on a
dog.
Experiments cont.
• Banting was
convinced that if
you could
isolate the
pancreas it
could produce
insulin which
would keep the
sugar level
down.
Experiments cont..
• They were ready to
extract on July 30.
Banting would do
the surgery and
Best would do the
test on the sugar
level in the blood
and urine
Experiments cont..
• They tested the
insulin by taking
out the pancreas
and they created
the extract by
chopping up the
pancreas and
grinded it.
Experiments cont.
• The experiment
worked!the
blood sugar
went down from
.20 to .12 in an
hour,and then
down to .11.
Experiments cont.
• The dog died days
later because of an
impurity in the
extract, but
Macleod hired
James Bertram
Collip, a
biochemist to help
purify it.
Experiments cont.
• They wrote their
first paper called
“The Internal
Section of the
Pancreas” which
was published. It
appeared in the
February 1922
issue of the
“Journal of
Laboratory and
Clinical Medicine”
First Human Experiment
• Their first patient
was Leonard
Thompson, who was
14 years old in 1922
• He had diabetes for
two years and was
so weak his weight
was down to 65
pounds. He was
expected to only live
a couple more
weeks.
First human patient cont.
• Best and Banting
tested the insulin on
themselves first to
make sure there
were no side
effects.
• After impurity
problems with the
insulin, Thompson
became better and
lived until dying in a
motorcycle
accident.
Nobel Prize
• Banting and
Macleod got the
Nobel Prize in 1923
in physiology and
medicine.
• Banting thought that
Best deserved the
prize as well so he
split the money with
Best equally.
Macleod split his
money with Collip
Achievements in College
• Best got his M.A.
in 1922
• He got his M.D. in
1925
• He was awarded
the Ellen Mickle
Fellowship for
highest standing in
the medical course
Later achievements
• After he got
married to
Margaret Mahon
in 1924, they and
their two sons
went to England.
Research
• His research was
done in the
laboratory of Sir
Henry Dale in
London. Best
discovered
histaminase (antiallergic enzyme
and received his
doctorate from
University of
Toronto in 1927
More Discoveries
• Best did research
on choline and
found out it
prevented fatty
livers.
• He also did
research on
herapin which
could prevent
blood clods in
WWII
More Discoveries
• He supplied dried
blood serum to the
wounded fighting
and in 1941 he
became the
director of medical
research unit of
Canadian navy.
Work at University of
Toronto
• Charles Best was
the head of the
department of
hygiene till 1941.
• When Macleod
retired in 1929,
Best became chair
of the department
of physiology until
1965.
Life after work
• He retired from
University of
Toronto in 1965,
and in 1966 Best’s
parents house
became a cultural
landmark.
Death
• In March 1978, one
of Best’s sons died
of a heart attack
• Hours later, Best
collapsed of a
ruptured blood
vessel
• He died on March
31, 1978 at Toronto
General Hospital
Awards and Achievements
• Charles Best was
praised by the
Queen of England,
the Pope and other
important figures.
He received many
medals as well
Awards and Achievements
cont.
• He wrote many
scientific
articles and was
a co-author of a
physiology text
book.
Awards and Achievements
cont.
• Some of the books
were: ‘The internal
secretion of the
pancreas’ (1922), ‘The
physiological Basis of
medical practice’(1937),
‘The living body’(1952),
and ‘The human body,
its anatomy and
physiology’(1956)
Achievements and Awards
• Best became the
chairman of
Banting and Best
Department when
Banting died
• He was elected a
fellow of the royal
society of London,
and the Royal
society of Canada
Achievements and Awards
• Best has been
honored on
stamps in the
countries Belgium,
Canada, Croatia,
Uruguay, and
Kuwait
Facts About Diabetes
• 18.2 million people
of the U.S.
population have
diabetes
• Over 15 million
diabetics today
could have died
early if it wasn’t for
insulin
Facts About Diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes people have to
have insulin injected or
pumped
• Type 2 diabetes people have to
follow a special diet and
exercise program, and take oral
medication
• Most diabetics have to take
medications for cholesterol and
blood levels
About Me
• I love to do sports
like soccer and
track
• I also love to eat
foods like:
Popsicle's
strawberries,
watermelon, and
pasta!
• I love to shop and
hang out with
friends!