Intro- What is Diabetes and why is it related to Frederick Banting?
Before you can truly understand and respect the works of Frederick Banting, you must first understand what diabetes is and what role his discovery of insulin plays in this. There are 3 types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes (Also known as juvenile diabetes) is when the pancreas permanently fails to produce insulin, leaving it incurable to this point, only treatable with insulin. Type 2 diabetes is where the body fails to use insulin properly and is usually a result of being overweight. Gestational diabetes is when pregnant women are led to type 2 diabetes due to high glucose levels. If Diabetes goes untreated, some symptoms include weight loss and increased thirst. Symptoms develop rapidly with Type 1 and much more slower and subtle in Type 2. Before insulin was discovered, a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes was deadly, with severe symptoms of unquenchable thirst, frequent urination, tremendous hunger and terrifying rapid weight loss. The mortality rate was 100 percent and hence there was an undeniable urgency to find an answer to this disease.
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