Charles Best & Frederick Banting
Dr. Charles Herbert Best (February 27, 1899 – March 31, 1978), born in West Pembroke, Maine, USA to Canadian parents, was a medical scientist who co-discovered insulin with Frederick Banting.
Best studied medicine at the University of Toronto (Canada). As a student he was also working as an assistant to Dr. Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin, the most widely medicine used in the treatment of diabetes. Best also had a crucial role in the discovery of insulin.
It is notable that in the year 1923, Banting and J.J.R. Macleod were jointly awarded the Noble Prize in medicine. Exclusion of Best made Banting incensed, and he shared half of the money of the Noble Prize with Best. In 1929, Best succeeded Macleod as professor of physiology at the University of Toronto. During the World War II, Best organized a Canadian program for securing dried human blood serum. In his later years, he became an adviser to the research committee of the United Nations (sponsored) World Health Organization.
Recognition[]
Best earned a number of recognitions for his works and contributions including the following:
- 1967: He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian award.
- 1994: He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, a charitable organization, to honor the persons who have significantly contributed to the understanding of disease and improving the health of the people.
- 2004: He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, an organization that honors important inventors of the world.
- An elementary school in Burlington, Ontario; a middle school in Toronto, Ontario; and a high school in Coquitlam, BC bear his name.
External links[]
- Charles Herbert Best, from the website of the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research at the University of Toronto