Insulin - The Crooked Timber: A History from Thick Brown Muck to Wall Street Gold

by Kersten T. Hall

Overview

Before the discovery of insulin, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. One hundred years after a milestone medical discovery, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' tells the story of how insulin was transformed from what one clinician called 'thick brown muck' into the very first drug to be produced using genetic engineering, one which would earn the founders of the US biotech company Genentech a small fortune.

Yet when Canadian doctor Frederick Banting was told in 1923 that he had won the Nobel Prize for this life-saving discovery, he was furious. For the prize had not been awarded to him alone - but jointly with a man whom he felt had no right to this honour. The human story behind this discovery is one of ongoing political and scientific controversy.

Taking the reader on a fascinating journey, starting with the discovery of insulin in the 1920s through to the present day, 'Insulin - The Crooked Timber' reveals a story of monstrous egos, toxic career rivalries, and a few unsung heroes such as two little known scientists whose work on wool fibres, carried out in a fume-filled former stable, not only proved to be crucial in unravelling the puzzle of insulin but ushered in a revolution in biology.

It was the author's own shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes that prompted him to sit down and write this book, but this story has lessons for us all about what technology can - and more importantly cannot - do for us. As the world pins its hopes on effective and lasting vaccines against Covid-19, these lessons from the story of insulin have never been more relevant.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192855381
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/20/2022
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Kersten T. Hall, School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds

Kersten Hall graduated with an honours degree in biochemistry from St. Anne's College, University of Oxford, and completed a PhD in gene regulation in adenoviruses before working for the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds. He then hung up his lab coat and began to write about science. His book 'The Man in the Monkeynut Coat' (OUP 2014) tells the story of pioneering physicist William Astbury whose research into wool fibres led him to make the very first studies of the structure of DNA. The book was shortlisted for the 2015 British Society for the History of Science Dingle Prize and was featured on a list of 'Books of 2014' in The Guardian. He is currently a visiting fellow in the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science at the University of Leeds where his research concerns the history of molecular biology but after a shocking diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes ten years ago he turned to the story of insulin.

Table of Contents

PrefaceLooking a Gift Horse in the Mouth?IntroductionTaming the Tiger1. The Pissing Evil - a colourful description of diabetes by 17th century English physician Thomas Willis2. Thick Brown Muck - Canadian scientist Fred Banting wins the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin... and is furious3. The Vision of Ezekiel - clinicians are stunned at the power of insulin to save lives, but it proves to be a double-edged sword4. A Greek Tragedy - German clinician Georg Zuelzer snatches defeat from the jaws of victory5. The Wasp's Nest - insulin proves to be a poisoned chalice for its discoverers6. Be Careful What You Wish For - the case of Romanian scientist Nicolai Paulesco underlines the truth of an old proverb7. 'In Praise of Wool' - the humble wool fibre sets in motion a revolution in biochemistry8. A Boastful Undertaking - a discovery made in a fume-filled stable offers the key to unlocking insulin9. The Blobs That Won a Nobel Prize - or two, all thanks to some coloured spots on a piece of filter paper10. The Prophet in the Labyrinth - biochemist Erwin Chargaff helps unlock the secrets of DNA, but fears where this may lead11. The Clone Wars - a conflict in which insulin proves to be a decisive weapon12. Wall Street Gold - in an act of modern day alchemy, insulin makes stock market history13. 'Don't You Want Cheap Insulin?' - What is it exactly that we want from science? And does the story of insulin have any lessons for us today?BibliographyFigures List and Acknowledgements for ImagesAcknowledgementsEnd notes

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Alain Touwaide, PhD (Ronin Institute)
Description: The history of insulin is generally well known. However, it dramatically transformed in recent years with the development of synthetic human insulin. This book covers the entire span of insulin and diabetes history, with the works of Paul Langerhans and Claude Bernard and their impact on insulin and the treatment of diabetes.
Purpose: According to the author, the history of insulin "is not a tale of bold, lone geniuses or saints who set to work on improving the lot of humanity. Instead, it is a story of monstruous ego, toxic insecurities, and bitter career rivalry that at times resembles 'Game of Thrones' but enacted with lab coats and pipettes, rather than chain mail and poisoned daggers. Some of the cast involved deserve our sympathy, while others are just plain odious." Compared with the treatment of COVID-19 in very recent years, the discovery of insulin is a useful model for ongoing medical history. The purpose of this book is to explore the objective history of a major medical discovery, beyond the myths, Nobel Prizes, and glory.
Audience: The book will certainly attract many readers, including affected patients, as diabetes has reached the level of a pandemic. At a deeper level, this historical inquiry will be of interest to historians of medicine as it covers the history of insulin, beyond Banting's discovery and up to present time, through a well-researched investigation. More broadly, this is a book on the history of discoveries that offers a realistic view, a style that is surprisingly infrequent for science history books. Therefore, the audience for this book will be broad and include scholars in interdisciplinary fields and historical specialties, including intellectual, cultural, and general history.
Features: Per the author's own statement, the narrative is built on the model of a classical drama, in three acts. The first act is about the discovery of insulin by Fred Banting in Toronto and the 1923 Nobel Prize, which is the most well-known part of its history. This first act is ominous, as not all actors were happy. The second act takes place in 1940s U.K. and involves Richard Synge and Archer Martin, the chemists who developed a method to identify the chemical structure of insulin. They, too, were awarded a Nobel Prize (1952). This new development opened the way to genetic analysis and, in the third act of this book, to genetic engineering and the production of artificial insulin, which soon became an unprecedented source of revenue for Wall Street.
Assessment: This alternate take on the history of insulin and its mysterious title may dissuade potential readers. Whereas the "crooked timber" is derived from German philosopher Kant and his pessimistic view of humankind, the reference "from thick brown muck to wall street gold" may generate a feeling of a successful history made by audacious and creative scientists. This possible paradoxical vision would alter the contributions of this investigation, which might be termed as "history from below" — one that does not magnify its makers and takes them with their full personality, not just their scientific achievements. The result is a riveting story that reads like a novel for general readers, while also providing a well-documented history (with many endnotes and a bibliography) that generates a compelling case.

Doody's Review Service

"... comprehensive account of the modern medical history of the hormone..." — Jerome Groopman, New York Review of Books

"The lengthy bibliography and endnotes are a testament to the extensive research that has been carried out to produce this fascinating account." — Arpan K. Banerjee, Hektoen International

"The story of insulin over the past 100 years, as the historian of science (and former molecular biologist) Kersten Hall shows in this dense and fascinating book, is also a microcosm of developments in science more widely, and of changes in the politics and economics of healthcare. [...] The pleasures of this book lie mainly in the storytelling detail and the gossipy richness of the lives, friendships and feuds glimpsed in the hubbub of decades pursuing the improvement of human health." — Steven Poole, Daily Telegraph

"It is a good read and scholarly account." — Arpan Banerjee , Hektoen International Journal

"Insulin-the Crooked Timber is essential reading for anyone concerned with the history of insulin." — Social History of Alcohol and Drugs.

"Hall's The Crooked Timber expertly combines careful attention to the science with thoughtful consideration of its historical and philosophical dimensions." — Neelanjana Ray, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

From the Publisher