Breakthrough

Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle

By: Thea Cooper, Arthur Ainsberg

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

It is 1919 and Elizabeth Hughes, the 11-year-old daughter of America's most-distinguished jurist and politician, Charles Evans Hughes, has been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. It is essentially a death sentence. The only accepted form of treatment - starvation - whittles her down to 45 pounds, skin and bones. Miles away, Canadian researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best manage to identify and purify insulin from animal pancreases - a miracle soon marred by scientific jealousy, intense business competition, and fistfights. In a race against time and a ravaging disease, Elizabeth becomes one of the first diabetics to receive insulin injections - all while its discoverers and a little known pharmaceutical company struggle to make it available to the rest of the world.

Relive the heartwarming true story of the discovery of insulin as it's never been told before. Written with authentic detail and suspense, and featuring walk-ons by William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Eli Lilly himself, among many others.

©2010 Thea Cooper, Arthur Ainsberg (P)2021 Tantor

Goosebumps

Incredible history of type 1 diabetes and what life was like before Banting discovered insulin. Elizabeth Hughes's life was so inspiring.

Medical and Historical information

Very Well written. Extremely Informative. So much learned in such a short time period. Great medical advancement.

Fascinating story that is not well known

Narration is excellent and the theme and development of the story flows wonderfully. This history showcases the human side of the development of insulin and the book really brings that to life.

Absolutely Wonderful !

I just finished listening to the audiobook, “Breakthrough”. It has been
quite an enlightening experience. The words of the book and the rendition were so powerful, to visualize oneself back in time, to witness the insulin being discovered and used in patients, by the great scientific minds. Even though there was prevailing disharmony amongst the scientists, but the truth is that the humanity was the real winner ! It was a sheer team-work and all-out efforts, not only by Drs MacLeod, Banting, Best and Collip, but the precious contributions to insulin discovery, refinement and effective administration to humans, before and afterwards, by many unsung heroes like Drs Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering, Drs Allen, Joslin, Lilly Senior and many others, are commendable. The real patients described in the audiobook like Leonard Thompson, Elizabeth Hughes and others, were also the other heroes of the insulin story, who daringly fought with their once fatal Type 1 diabetes and then adapted themselves to the cumbersome insulin injections. The care-givers of the patients, like, Mrs Antoinette, also were not of any lesser significance than their respective patients, as was proven by their sincere and whole-hearted efforts to find a solution/ cure of their dearone’s(Miss Elizabeth) debilitating illness.
Ultimately, I would like to thank the Most Powerful, The AlMighty Lord of the Universe, to Have Created such great geniuses, who were able to salvage the people with diabetes, by deciphering and isolating insulin.
I cannot finish without paying special thanks to the authors, Mrs Thea Cooper and Mr Arthur Ainsberg, for their excellent masterpiece and for putting straight all the historical facts on insulin discovery and the heroes behind it !
Miss Teri Schnaubelt, the book render, also needs a big applause, for vividly rendering the whole drama, from the beginning up till the end, with such brilliance, that kept the audience glued together throughout the book.
As I was listening to the book and the World Diabetes Day, 2024, also coincided during that time,
I had gathered some thoughts on the present time and insulin discovery in the backdrop:


The discovery of insulin- a lease of life for people with Type 1 diabetes(for whom diabetes meant certain & imminent death before):



“Was it Banting and Best,
Collip and McLeod’s feat ?
Whose efforts bore fruits,
And ‘Insulin’ was discovered.
Or was it the Compassionate Creator,
Who really Sorted out the pancreatic mystery,
And Granted man the sense,
To perfect the pancreatic extract,
That was injected to people with diabetes,
Safely and successfully !
A new era dawned in the history of medicine.
Many hopeless souls,
Got relieved and cheerful.
On being Gifted Insulin,
The “lifeline” so much awaited before.
Since that landmark discovery,
Diabetes has witnessed many more breakthroughs.
Each one a lesson, to the faltering human.
Not to despair and to carry on the struggle,
Despite upheavals and failures.
And never to loose the trust on our ‘True Benefector’
We should always strive keeping us upright,
And keep words and deeds like a mirror.
Kindling the dreary paths for others,
And rescuing fondering hearts, from deep waters .
Ahead, Medicine has many more challenges.
Diabetes also needs more plunges,
Into the oceans of research and practice.
As in 1921, the insulin got invented.
May one day, Diabetes get eradicated”.


Thank-you.
Muhammad Shoaib Zaidi
Consultant Physician,
Riyadh, KSA.