Frederick Banting

Background

Sir Frederick Banting is one of the best-known Canadian medical scientists, physicians, painters, and the co-discoverer of insulin. Banting was born on November 14, 1891, in Ontario. He attended a public high school in Alliston and furthered his education at Victoria College in 1910. He started his college educational journey with a general arts program that he unfortunately failed. Undeterred, he joined the medical program in 1912. In 1915, Banting joined the military. After graduating from the medical program in 1916, he immediately commenced his military duties. The following year, he was awarded the ‘Military Cross’ for his heroic acts.

In 1918, he was awarded the license to practice medicine, surgery, and midwifery by the Royal College of Physicians of London. Post-war, he traveled to Toronto to start his surgical training and studied orthopedic medicine. Between 1919 and 1920, he worked as a resident surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children. He also worked as a part-time lecturer at the University of Western Ontario for orthopedics and anthropology. He received his Doctorate of Medicine degree in 1922. He got together with physiology professor John Macleod, medical scientist Charles Best, and biochemist James Collip to discuss how to approach and isolate insulin. The first injection of insulin was in early 1922 into a 14-year-old patient. Later that year, Banting established a private practice to treat diabetic patients. Together with Macleod, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923. The duo split the prize money with their insulin co-discoverers Best and Collip. In the late 1930s, he furthered his research into the physiological problems experienced by pilots flying high-altitude combat aircraft. During World War II, he invented the G-suit to prevent blackouts experienced by pilots subject to high levels of acceleration force.

The genius medical scientist also had an artistic side and loved painting too. He is also known as “one of Canada’s most accomplished amateur painters.” Banting was married twice. His first marriage was to Marion Robertson in 1924 with whom he had a son, William. They divorced in 1932. He married Henrietta Ball, a physician, and director of Women’s College Hospital’s Cancer Detection Clinic, in 1937. Banting, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries sustained from an airplane crash in 1941 at the young age of 49.