1920's Medicine and Health | Insulin

Insulin.

Diabetes mellitus, also known as "sugar disease," is a disease that killed thousands every year until the discovery of insulin in 1921. Diabetes is often seen in children, and before the treatment existed, the disease was essentially a death sentence. It is caused by a defect in the pancreas, which is then unable to produce the hormone insulin needed by muscle cells to utilize glucose. Without glucose the tissues are deprived of their main energy and are forced to produce energy from fat. High blood levels of toxic ketone bodies (acetone) result.

Symptoms.

The diabetic shows a high level of glucose in blood and urine. Symptoms of the disease include increased thirst and hunger, increased urination, weakness, and a loss of weight. If left untreated, the acetone accumulates in the blood, brain function ceases, and the patient may slip into a coma and die.

Pancreas Defect Responsible for Disease.

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