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Thea Cooper

Arthur Ainsberg

Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle Hardcover – September 1, 2010

by Thea Cooper (Author)

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It is 1919 and Elizabeth Hughes, the eleven-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 forty-five 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.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St. Martin's Press
Publication date

September 1, 2010
Dimensions

6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0312648707
ISBN-13

978-0312648701
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Cooper and Ainsberg present an inspirational record of how the confluence of just the right people at just the right time in just the right places launched a boon for diabetics the world over. When Elizabeth Hughes Gossett was laid to rest in 1981 at the age of 73, few people knew that, by all rights, she should never have lived long enough to enter high school, much less graduate college, marry, and have children. Fewer still may have known or appreciated that while still a child, she risked what little life she may have had left by participating in a medical experiment that, if successful, would save her own and millions of other lives. A remarkable story, made more so by the efforts of Frederick Banting, who tipped fate in Elizabeth’s favor. Just as the honeybee believes its wings will carry it through the air against all physical odds, Banting believed he could perfect a product—insulin—that would save the lives of diabetics. Bees fly and Banting did, and this account makes worthy reading. --Donna Chavez

Review

“The twentieth century witnessed many medical miracles, but perhaps none was so transformative as the discovery of insulin for the treatment for diabetes. Breakthrough is the fascinating tale of Nobel prize-winning research, of a young girl who should have died as a child but instead lived to see seven grandchildren, and of a drug that turned a death sentence into something more akin to a chronic nuisance. This book is an important read for anyone with diabetes. It is an enjoyable read for those who love mystery and human drama.” ―Kenneth T. Jackson, Barzun Professor of History, Columbia University

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312648707
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312648701
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.13 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,226,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,131 in General Diabetes Health
- #1,590 in History of Medicine (Books)
- #60,644 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
174 ratings

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Thea Cooper

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Top reviews from the United States

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K. L Sadler

Medical Research at its Best, and its Worst...

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016

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I forgot to add this book...I was actually reading some other books, and I added this one. Oftentimes, I take a quick peek inside the book. That's not always a good idea for me, because this book really hooked me in, and I couldn't put it down. There are probably other books about the discovery of insulin, but I always like history with my science, and this book really fed that particular hunger of mine. This book put a real face on the misery of patients who had Diabetes 1, which is juvenile diabetes (think Mary Tyler Moore). Back then at the turn of the 20th century, there was nothing that could be done. One man came up with a starvation diet that could only promise to stave off death for months, occasionally for a year or so. But that diet was absolute misery for the patients, but the doctor administering it just knew a cure would be found soon.

And he was right...a young and brash man had an idea. Frederick Banting was a physician, not originally a researcher. But he took his idea to physiologist J J R Macleod. What happened after that was a comedy of errors as only a bunch of egotistical researchers could dream up. It was very interesting to read again of how men would connive against one another, and try to one-up one another to make a claim of finding a much-searched for cure that was killing so many people. Macleod had almost nothing to do with the research...he did no active work on it. But his name ended up on the papers because he was the boss, and he received credit for something he didn't do, which makes me so mad. Banting almost didn't get credit, and some of the other men who were actively involved in the work ended up not getting credit for what they did.

For the most part, the book was good. But as other reviewers have said...making up possible conversations that may have happened was not the way to go. This method was used to hook the reader, but it makes the book less of a history when used this way.

The book does not go deep into the science of insulin. I will have to find another book for that. But I enjoyed this story because it showed the human side of suffering in Diabetes which drove the research.

5 people found this helpful

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Long term customerTop Contributor: Star Trek

Excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed learning the history of the race to isolate insulin, served up with historic context. It's hard to imagine today what an enormous medical advance this was at the time.
The characters were all interesting. I found Dr Banting to be extremely inspiring. It was his dream and perseverance that made the difference. And, yes, he did have help from others. it took a team, plus the financial backing of Eli Lilly to bring insulin to the public.
There is an element of historical fiction here, as various conversations were recreated, but I did not feel it detracted in any way.

One person found this helpful

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JMP

interesting book, lots of interesting history on the discovery of insulin

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2017

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It was a good book but since Elizabeth refused to talk about her diabetes obviously a lot of it was heresay. Interesting that even back in the 20s you had to have money for decent medical care (if it wasn't for her dads power and influence she wouldn't have gone on insulin).

It's too bad Elizabeth was so secretive about her diabetes. As a T1D that was diagnosed in the early 80's I was always hearing stories about how short the life span for a lot of T1Ds is. She lives to be 74 and was on insulin for over 60 years and this was before all the breakthroughs we have today and from being on a starvation diet for a couple years. She could have really given a lot of hope to diabetics.

They do need to update the ending and talk about some of the other insulins available.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Why did she go to so much effort to hide or deny her diabetes?

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book. I am sorry that Elizabeth Hughes chose to hide her diabetes and declined to support research in her bequests. She could have been a powerful voice! I do not see how she successfully hid her disease from her fiance until after they were engaged, did not tell her children and lived for so many years without telling people about it. Even with the vastly improved diagnostic, testing and dosing techniques, I find it difficult to "not tell." I don't feel like I have to talk about it all the time, but a lot of times it is easier to just explain.

I was a little disappointed to read how much of the story was "imagined" when I got to the end of the book, but it was still a good story.

2 people found this helpful

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Colleen O.

Fascinating book about something I feel like we take for granted

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2018

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Fascinating book about something I feel like we take for granted. Hard to believe that just about 100 years ago a diagnosis of type one diabetes was a death sentence. And if you did manage to live any length of time it was a pretty miserable life of starvation. Very well written and researched book.

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Busy Mom

Very interesting!!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

As a mother of a type 1 diabetic, I found this history of the discovery and development of insulin fascinating! And I am beyond grateful that my daughter was diagnosed in 2018 when science had advanced the treatment of diabetes far beyond what it was when insulin was discovered.

One person found this helpful

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Kindle krazy

Interesting but sad

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

As a diabetic I found the book very interesting. However very sad that Elizabeth Hughes could not give anything in any way to continue the diabetes research that gave her life. Her guilt was more important than the millions of children and adults that came after her. Also I find it hard to honor Lilly that made and makes untold millions from insulin. Currently Humalog insulin made by Lilly is so expensive that my health insurance company refuses prescriptions for it. Look how far we've come.

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Top reviews from other countries

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N. Thomas Hertel

Fascinating story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2012

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Working as a paediatric endocrinologist this book gives a fascinating insight into the years of the discovery of insulin and individual families struck by diabetes. Some problems in children with diabetes are still the same! But luckily our arsenal of therapy is much better.

Ms. L. E. Moore

learning book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2015

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Informative and humbling to know how recent the control has been established. Bit boring to read in parts.

jpublic

very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2014

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Very good book, could not put it down. Deserves wider readership, recommended as s starter for anyone wanting to get to grips with this exciting part of history.

Teresa

Sobre la historia de la insulina y los primeros tratamientos con diabetes.

Reviewed in Spain on May 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

Es un buen libro a nivel de divulgación sobre el impacto que tuvo el descubrimiento de la insulina en las vidas de las personas con Diabetes tipo 1.

A nivel narrativo, me ha decepcionado. Los personajes no son creíbles. El libro es muy denso. El autor no se arriesga a imaginarse cómo podrían haber sido las cosas por miedo a no ser exacto, de modo que las relaciones familiares están estereotipadas (las hermanas se quieren mucho, la madre es muy maternal, el padre es un hombre de negocios) y quizás, los más estereotipados sean los médicos que aparecen en el libro.

Reconozco que me he saltado párrafos enteros y que el libro no me ha emocionado en absoluto. Aún así, reconozco el mérito de haber abordado con rigor histórico un tema tan importante como el descubrimiento de la insulina.

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