The Discovery of Insulin
“The new edition of this historical masterpiece . . . fleshes out events and personalities through a narrative that remains as stirring and relevant as ever.” —Robert A. Hegele, Western University
When insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, even jaded professionals marveled at how it brought starved, sometimes comatose diabetics back to life. In the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of a classic, Michael Bliss unearths scientists’ memoirs and confidential appraisals of insulin by members of the Nobel Committee. He also resolves a longstanding controversy about scientific collaboration at its most fractious and fascinating: who ultimately deserves credit for the discovery? Bliss’s life-and-death saga illuminates one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of medicine.
“The Discovery of Insulin deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside such eye-openers as James Watson’s The Double Helix.” —Washington Post
“The definitive history . . . well written, highly readable.” —London Review of Books
“Scrupulously researched and compellingly readable . . . I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in diabetes, medical history, or medical scandal and gossip.” —British Medical Journal
“This book reaches well beyond the story of insulin. It is a timeless chronicle on the pursuit of science, as well as the nature of discoveries and the people who make them.” —Jeffrey M. Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor, The Rockefeller University, and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
When insulin was discovered in the early 1920s, even jaded professionals marveled at how it brought starved, sometimes comatose diabetics back to life. In the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of a classic, Michael Bliss unearths scientists’ memoirs and confidential appraisals of insulin by members of the Nobel Committee. He also resolves a longstanding controversy about scientific collaboration at its most fractious and fascinating: who ultimately deserves credit for the discovery? Bliss’s life-and-death saga illuminates one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of medicine.
“The Discovery of Insulin deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside such eye-openers as James Watson’s The Double Helix.” —Washington Post
“The definitive history . . . well written, highly readable.” —London Review of Books
“Scrupulously researched and compellingly readable . . . I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in diabetes, medical history, or medical scandal and gossip.” —British Medical Journal
“This book reaches well beyond the story of insulin. It is a timeless chronicle on the pursuit of science, as well as the nature of discoveries and the people who make them.” —Jeffrey M. Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor, The Rockefeller University, and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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