Insulin is first introduced to the American public

Date: 19 Jul 1923
Updated: 19 Jul 2026

Insulin was discovered by Frederick G. Banting in 1921. Banting was working with J.J.R. Macleod and Charles Best in the University of Toronto in Canada. Both Banting and Macleod were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work, while Best was excluded, a decision the Nobel Peace Prize committee subsequently regretted. On 19 July 1923, insulin was introduced to the public. It had taken two years of trials before it was deemed safe enough for the public. Insulin is still used all over the world today to especially treat type 1 diabetes. South Africa has over 6.5 million people living with the disease.

Search events by date

What happened on your birthday?

How we know this

01Rosenfeld L. Insulin: discovery and controversy from NCBI Resources [online] Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov [Accessed on 4 July 2012]
02Journal of diabetology Discovery, treatment and management of diabetes [online] Available at: www.journalofdiabetology.org [Accessed on 4 July 2012]

Last updated · 19 Jul 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, July 13). Insulin is first introduced to the American public. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0088202

South African History Online (2012) 'Insulin is first introduced to the American public', South African History Online, 13 July. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0088202 (Accessed: 24 August 2026).

South African History Online, Insulin is first introduced to the American public [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0088202, (accessed 24 August 2026).

"Insulin is first introduced to the American public." South African History Online, 13 July 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0088202. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Insulin is first introduced to the American public." South African History Online. July 13, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0088202.