Just in the United States of America, 23.6 million people have diabetes. In Canada, one person for every twenty suffer from the disease. As an increasing common condition, the isolation of insulin is a vital part of medicine. Insulin is the only treatment available for diabetes. Some symptoms of untreated diabetes include blindness, heart or circulation problems, and kidney disease or failure. It also caused rapid weight loss, blurred vision, and declining brain functions. Before insulin was discovered, the victim usually became comatose and soon afterwards died, often in a period of one month to two years. Because of this, it is evident that Banting’s discovery has saved millions of lives.
Although the discovery of insulin did not greatly impact the field of chemistry, it did lead to further medical research and progress in the treatment of diabetes. Since it was isolated, many forms of insulin have been developed, specifically altered to suit each patient and better suit his or her needs. These advances have allowed persons with diabetes to become both healthier and more comfortable; much effort has also been devoted to making the administrating of the insulin more comfortable.
