1277: "Insulin’s Legacy - The Untold Stories"
Interesting Things with JC #1277: "Insulin’s Legacy: The Untold Stories" – A miracle drug born of compassion, then swallowed by conflict. This is the story behind the needle, and the price we still pay for what was once meant to be free.
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Episode Anchor
Episode Title: Insulin’s Legacy: The Untold Stories
Episode Number: #1277
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: Biology, History of Medicine, Ethics, Health Policy
Lesson Overview
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Define the medical, scientific, and ethical dimensions of insulin’s discovery and use.
Compare the contributions of key figures in the development of insulin and how recognition was distributed.
Analyze how the commercialization of insulin has impacted global accessibility and healthcare outcomes.
Explain the historical timeline and scientific breakthroughs that led to modern insulin therapies.
Key Vocabulary
Insulin (ˈin-sə-lən) — A hormone critical to regulating blood sugar; its discovery in 1922 transformed diabetes from a fatal disease into a manageable condition.
Pancreas (ˈpaŋ-krē-əs) — The organ that produces insulin; early extracts from animal pancreases were initially used for treatment.
Purification (pyur-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən) — The process Collip used with alcohol to make insulin safe for human use.
Analog Insulin (ˈa-nə-ˌlȯg ˈin-sə-lən) — Synthetic insulin modified for different absorption rates; launched in the 1990s and key to modern diabetes care.
Patent (ˈpa-tᵊnt) — A legal right to profit from an invention; the University of Toronto sold insulin’s patent for $1 to protect access, but later formulations became patent-protected products.
Narrative Core (Based on the PSF – relabeled)
Open: A dramatic life-or-death moment in 1922 introduces Leonard Thompson, the first human to receive insulin.
Info: The team behind the discovery—Banting, Best, Collip, and Macleod—faced internal conflict and recognition controversies.
Details: The Nobel Prize split, the scientific hurdles, and the purification breakthrough reveal the complexity and tensions of the discovery process.
Reflection: The idealism of affordable medicine meets the reality of modern pricing, revealing global inequality and ethical dilemmas.
Closing: These are interesting things, with JC.
Transcript
See Transcript Below
Student Worksheet
Who was Leonard Thompson, and why is he historically significant?
Describe the role of James Collip in making insulin safe for human use.
Why was the Nobel Prize distribution in 1923 controversial?
What was the intended reason for the University of Toronto selling the insulin patent for $1?
Discuss the irony in the evolution of insulin pricing from the 1920s to the present day.
Teacher Guide
Estimated Time: 2 class periods (90–120 minutes)
Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:
Use a concept map to connect terms like “insulin,” “hormone,” “patent,” and “accessibility.”
Show a short clip on diabetes treatment pre-1920s to contextualize insulin's impact.
Anticipated Misconceptions:
Students may think Banting and Best were solely responsible.
Students may assume insulin is universally affordable and accessible.
Discussion Prompts:
Should scientific discoveries be protected by patents?
Who decides which scientists are recognized in history?
How do you balance innovation with equitable healthcare?
Differentiation Strategies:
ESL: Visual vocabulary cards and paired reading.
IEP: Provide sentence starters and simplified transcripts.
Gifted: Research and present on another overlooked medical contributor (e.g., Rosalind Franklin).
Extension Activities:
Investigate modern pharmaceutical pricing models.
Debate: “Insulin Should Be Free: Yes or No?”
Create a historical timeline showing insulin’s scientific and commercial development.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
Ethics: Medical ethics, access to care.
Economics: Patent law and pharmaceutical pricing.
Chemistry/Biology: Hormone production and synthetic insulin synthesis.
Quiz
Q1. Who was the first person to receive a successful injection of insulin?
A. Frederick Banting
B. Charles Best
C. Leonard Thompson
D. James Collip
Answer: CQ2. What breakthrough made insulin safe for human use?
A. Use of pig pancreas
B. Alcohol purification method
C. Nobel Prize award
D. Invention of the syringe
Answer: BQ3. Why did Banting share his Nobel Prize money with Best?
A. He didn’t need the money
B. He believed Best was unfairly excluded
C. They were brothers
D. He was required by contract
Answer: BQ4. When was synthetic “human insulin” approved in the U.S.?
A. 1923
B. 1982
C. 1996
D. 2020
Answer: BQ5. What was the approximate cost of Humalog in 1996?
A. $275
B. $50
C. $21
D. $100
Answer: CAssessment
Explain how scientific discovery, personal conflict, and commercialization intersect in the history of insulin.
Analyze how historical decisions about insulin access continue to influence modern healthcare systems.
3–2–1 Rubric:
3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful
2 = Partial or missing detail
1 = Inaccurate or vague
Standards Alignment
Common Core – Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9: Integrate information from diverse sources into a coherent understanding of an idea or event.
NGSS – Science Practices
HS-LS1-3: Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.
HS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.
C3 – Social Studies Framework
D2.His.16.9-12: Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument.
D2.Civ.7.9-12: Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others.
ISTE – Technology & Ethics
ISTE 1.2b: Students engage in positive, ethical, and responsible behavior when using technology.
International Equivalents:
AQA Biology GCSE 4.5.3: Students learn how hormones are used in the control of blood glucose.
IB DP Biology (2.1, 6.6): Cell functions and hormonal regulation of homeostasis.
Cambridge IGCSE Biology 2.5.1: Describe insulin’s role in blood glucose regulation.
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Interesting Things with JC #1277: "Insulin’s Legacy: The Untold Stories"
They said it was a miracle. A boy on the edge of death, his body failing from untreated diabetes, given an injection, and hours later, breathing easier. That boy was Leonard Thompson. And the year was 1922.
You’ve heard the name “insulin.” You may even know that its discovery earned a Nobel Prize. But what you probably haven’t heard is just how bitter that discovery became. Or how the decisions made a century ago still shape who lives, and who dies, today.
Insulin was first successfully used on a human in January of 1922 at Toronto General Hospital. The team behind it included Frederick Banting, a surgeon; Charles Best, a young medical student; James Collip, a biochemist; and John Macleod, a senior physiology professor. Within a year, Banting and Macleod were awarded the Nobel Prize.
But the award sparked outrage. Banting, furious that Best was excluded, gave him half his prize money. Then Macleod did the same for Collip. That quiet transaction told a deeper truth: this was no simple duo’s achievement. It was a fractured team, torn by resentment, fighting for credit in a race that ultimately saved millions.
And that race was never guaranteed to finish. Early extracts from the pancreas caused high fevers, infections, and even death in test animals. Collip’s breakthrough, using alcohol to purify the hormone, was what finally made insulin safe enough for Leonard Thompson’s body. Without Collip’s work, there would have been no miracle.
But history tends to flatten conflict. Schoolbooks often mention Banting and Best. Few mention the fights in the lab, or the day Collip locked the others out of his workroom. Or the reality that Thompson’s second injection, on January 23, 1922, was only successful because the first had nearly killed him.
Now consider this: in 1923, the University of Toronto sold the patent for insulin for just $1. Not to profit, but to prevent anyone else from doing so. They licensed production to Eli Lilly and Company, aiming to ensure widespread, affordable access. It was an act of idealism. But idealism, once money enters the equation, can be hard to protect.
By the 1980s, most manufacturers had shifted from animal-based insulin to synthetic human insulin. In 1982, Humulin, the first genetically engineered insulin, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was safer, more predictable, and easier to scale. But it also laid the groundwork for patent-protected analog insulins, launched in the 1990s.
That’s where prices began to shift.
In 1996, a vial of Humalog, the first fast-acting analog insulin, cost about $21. In 2020, the same vial was listed at $275. That’s a 1,200 percent increase over 24 years. Adjusted for inflation, it’s still a nearly 700 percent rise.
Compare that to the United Kingdom or Canada, where the same medication costs between $25 and $40 per vial due to government pricing limits. In the U.S., out-of-pocket costs can exceed $1,000 per month for an uninsured diabetic using multiple vials and delivery devices.
And synthetic insulins aren’t interchangeable. Long-acting formulas like Lantus or Toujeo, fast-acting pens like Fiasp, and traditional vials like Novolin each have different absorption times and shelf lives. Switching isn’t always possible without risk. That creates dependencies, and pricing power.
People have died rationing insulin. Parents have crossed borders to buy it cheaper. Advocacy groups like Insulin for Life and Life for a Child now ship donated insulin to over 40 countries where access is still a daily struggle.
The irony is sharp. A life-saving drug, born from a mission of accessibility, now sits at the center of one of modern healthcare’s most painful contradictions.
Insulin’s story isn’t just about biology or chemistry. It’s about memory. About who gets written into the record, and who doesn’t. About what happens when science serves humanity… and what happens when humanity forgets the science that was meant to serve.
Frederick Banting died young, in a plane crash in 1941. Best became a professor. Macleod continued in academia and later served as Dean at the University of Aberdeen. And Collip? He went on to help pioneer treatments for other diseases, but never received the same recognition.
Their work saved Leonard Thompson. It saved millions more after him. But the world they helped build now faces a question they never resolved: can something invented to save lives stay free of the forces that measure value in dollars?
These are interesting things, with JC.
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This episode explores the human story behind insulin—from its discovery in 1922 to its evolution into a billion-dollar industry. Students will critically engage with how science, ethics, and economics collide in real-world medicine. It’s a compelling lesson in recognition, innovation, and the high cost of life-saving care—making it a vital addition to classrooms focused on science literacy, ethics, and historical inquiry.
Reference:
Bliss, M. (2007). The discovery of insulin: Twenty-fifth anniversary edition. University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo5388816.html
