A Brilliant Brain

Biography

Frederick Banting was a Canadian physician and medical researcher who discovered insulin in 1921, revolutionizing diabetes treatment and saving millions of lives worldwide. His landmark collaboration with Charles Best at the University of Toronto led to one of medicine's greatest breakthroughs. Banting's decision to sell the insulin patent for $1 exemplified his commitment to humanity over profit.

Key Facts

• Co-discovered insulin with Charles Best in 1921, earning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 at age 31
• Sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for $1 to ensure affordable access for diabetic patients
• Trained as a dentist before switching to medicine, then worked as a general practitioner before his research breakthrough
• Died in a plane crash in Newfoundland in 1941 while on a wartime medical research mission for the Canadian government
• Before insulin, type 1 diabetes was essentially a death sentence; his discovery transformed it into a manageable chronic condition