Diabetes mellitus type 2 historical perspective

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Dima Nimri, M.D. [2]; Tarek Nafee, M.D. [3],Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [4]

Overview

Diabetes mellitus is a well-recognized disease from ancient times. In 1812 diabetes mellitus became a recognized clinical entity in The New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery. In 1889, the pancreas was identified as playing a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The discovery of insulin in 1921 was a major turning point in the history of diabetes when Frederick Banting and Charles Best were able to reverse the diabetic state in dogs by injecting pancreatic isolate from healthy dogs.

Historical Perspective

Diabetes mellitus is a well-recognized disease from ancient times, but the major advancement in the disease was the isolation of insulin and its use in treatment. The historical perspective of diabetes mellitus can be summarized in the following points:

• Around 1500 B.C., diabetes mellitus was a condition first recognized by the Egyptians. They noted that the affected person had urinary frequency, as well as weight loss.
• The Greek physician Areatus was the first to come up with the term diabetes mellitus, which refers to the fact that urine has a sweet taste. However, it was not until 1776 that the concentration of glucose in urine was measured in such patients and levels were found to be elevated.
• In 1812, diabetes mellitus became recognized as a clinical entity in The New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery.
• In 1889, scientists suggested that the pancreas plays a major role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, as removing the pancreas from dogs resulted in fatal diabetes.
• The discovery of insulin in 1921 was a major turning point in the history of diabetes mellitus. Two scientists, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, were able to reverse the diabetic condition in dogs by injecting some of the pancreatic isolate from healthy dogs.