Griffin Speaks
A MEDICAL MIRACLE
If
you are a diabetic you should thank the Lord for the discovery of insulin.
What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone, and therefore, a protein. It is
secreted by groups of cells inside the pancreas called islet cells. The
pancreas sits behind the stomach. In addition to producing insulin the
pancreas also produces digestive enzymes and other hormones.
When we eat carbohydrates are absorbed from the intestines into the
bloodstream. The pancreas then secrets insulin in response to the increased
level of sugar in the blood. Most
cells in the body have insulin receptors, which bind the insulin that is
circulating throughout the body. When insulin is attached to the surface of
a cell, the cell activates other receptors to absorb glucose from the blood
stream into the inside of the cell.
If
your body does not produce enough insulin, you can eat and actually be in a
state of starvation since many of your cells cannot access the calories
contained in the glucose without the action of insulin. Hence Type 1
diabetics who can not make insulin usually become very ill without insulin
shots. Most diabetics are Type 2 diabetics. They are insulin resistant. In
their case, the levels of insulin in the blood are similar or even higher
than normal, non-diabetics. Their cells do not respond well to the insulin
that they make and therefore their cells can not absorb the sugar molecules
well. Some Type 2 diabetics will require insulin shots but the majority of
the time other methods are used to control the blood sugar of the Type 2
diabetic. One of the world’s leading Diabetologist (a doctor who
specializes in treating people who has diabetes), Dr. Jefferson Underwood
III practices here in Montgomery, Alabama. We are fortunate to have someone
of that magnitude in our midst. Perhaps Dr. Underwood will find a cure.
In
1920 Dr. Frederick Banting had an idea to pop into his head that would lead
to the discovery of insulin. Before the discovery of insulin, a diagnosis of
diabetes meant call the undertaker. Dr. Banting and his colleagues used dogs
to perform their experiments. Again we have to thank man’s best friend “Fido”.
A lot of dogs sacrificed their lives for this discovery. The following
mentioned persons are credited with discovering this medical miracle:
Professor J.J. R. MacLeod, who provided the lab space at the University of
Toronto, Canada and general scientific direction to Dr. Fred G. Banting and
Mr. Charles H. Best, and Dr. J. B. Collip. These four gentlemen were able to
purify insulin for use in diabetic patients. The first tests were conducted
on Leonard Thompson early in 1922. These men are responsible for saving the
lives of millions of people around the world.
Insulin
was initially produced from cows and later pigs. The slaughterhouses
provided the pancreatic islets and the insulin protein contained within
them. Some patients are allergic to this type of insulin because of the
foreign protein. A need thus arose for human insulin. In the 1980’s
technology was advanced to the extent that human insulin could be
commercially produced. Since all humans have the exact same insulin there
was a lower chance of an allergic reaction. The technology that made this
possible was the development of recombinant DNA techniques. Scientists
simply cloned the human gene, which codes for the insulin protein and then
put it inside bacteria. Today big vats of bacteria constantly produce tons
of human insulin.
There
are other medical miracles waiting to be discovered. The cures for CANCER,
HEART DISEASE and AIDS are right in front of our eyes. We just have to
figure certain things out. We know that the non-medical cure for ignorance
is knowledge, the cure for racism is the abolishment of racial
classifications, (there is really only one race and that is the human race);
the cure for obesity is pushing back from the table, and the cure for hatred
is love. Go figure out a cure for what ails the world!
Greg
Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by
visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com
