Document Detail


Making the unit of insulin: standards, clinical work, and industry, 1920-1925.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12060790     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The standardization of insulin is generally considered by historians to have been a process conducted by physiologists under the direction of Henry Dale. This article shows that it actually involved many actors and began with the earliest administration to patients in Canada and the United States. During this first phase, the drug company Eli Lilly also contributed actively to the standardization, under the scientific direction of George Clowes. This is not to undermine the role of Dale, whose political leadership was paramount for the international phase of the standardization. His scientific contribution, however, was a continuation of previous work led by physiologists, clinicians, and pharmacists. The production and packaging of insulin in standardized units thus appears to be the result of the impressive working of a transdisciplinary and transnational network. It also highlights how new modes of drug regulation were elaborated by state bodies in the early 1920s and paved the way for more extensive reforms.
Authors:
Christiane Sinding
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Bulletin of the history of medicine     Volume:  76     ISSN:  0007-5140     ISO Abbreviation:  Bull Hist Med     Publication Date:  2002  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2002-06-12     Completed Date:  2002-07-19     Revised Date:  2009-11-11    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0141233     Medline TA:  Bull Hist Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  231-70     Citation Subset:  IM; Q    
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé et Société (CNRS, INSERM, EHESS), Site CNRS, Villejuif, France. sinding@ext.jussieu.fr
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Canada
Drug Industry / history
England
History, 20th Century
Hypoglycemic Agents / history*,  standards
Insulin / history*,  standards
International Cooperation
Interprofessional Relations
Pharmacology / history
United States
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Hypoglycemic Agents; 11061-68-0/Insulin

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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