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Banting Foundation unveils monument to mark 100th anniversary of discovery
August 27, 2021 · 0 Comments
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin by a team of researchers whose important work has saved hundreds of millions of lives.
To commemorate the anniversary, the Sir Frederick Banting Legacy Foundation unveiled a monument at the Banting Heritage Park in Alliston on Friday, August 20.
The black stone monument features the likeness of the team responsible for the discovery, including Sir Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip, and John MacLeod.
The event coincided with a special three-day event at the Heritage Park that included walking tours of the site. There was so much interest that the event was quickly sold out.
“There are currently around 460 million people living with diabetes,” said David Sadleir, President, Sir Frederick Banting Legacy Foundation. “About ten per cent of those have type 1 diabetes and require daily insulin shots. The research (for insulin) was the catalyst for other types of research, and this can be traced back to the motivation for the original funding.”
The Banting Legacy Foundation and Heritage Park is located on the site where Sir Frederick Banting was born.
The Park is both historical and educational in nature.
It preserves Banting’s legacy while at the same time raises awareness and educates people about diabetes.
“Banting had the ‘eureka’ moment for the discovery of insulin in October of 1920,” explained Kaiti Perez Diaz, Heritage Site program coordinator. “It took until May of 1921 to convince MacLeod to let him have lab space. Once he did get the lab space, he was able to make the discovery in eight months. The discovery was made in 1921 and they injected the first patient in January of 1922.”
In Canada, Banting is revered as the discoverer of insulin. However, it is well known that although he did make the final discovery, his work was based on the research of many other people over several decades.
John MacLeod also won the Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery of insulin – an award he shared with Banting in 1923.
MacLeod’s contributions were largely put aside for decades. It wasn’t until years later, that experts agreed that his contributions to the discovery were as important as Banting’s.
“I try to teach the kids in our schools tour program, that even if you do a little discovery – that’s going to help the next guy,” Ms. Perez Diaz said.
The Banting Heritage Park will be resuming its regular programs in the fall including tours of the site.
The site features the original octagonal drive shed, a barn, a Diabetes Management Education Centre, the house, and 107 acres of property surrounding the Park.
The monument will be a fitting and lasting memorial to the team responsible for one of the most important discoveries in history and for saving millions of lives because of their work.
By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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