Charles Best.Charles Best (OG)
Charles Herbert Best was a prominent medical scientist born on February 27, 1899, in West Pembroke, Maine. He pursued his education in Canada, graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in physiology and biochemistry in 1919. Best's significant scientific contributions began when he joined Sir Frederick Banting’s research team, where they identified the relationship between the pancreas, insulin, and blood sugar. This groundbreaking work led to the development of insulin as a treatment for diabetes, revolutionizing care for millions affected by the disease. Although Best was not awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery due to his student status at the time, he is widely recognized as a key figure in this achievement.
Throughout his career, Best also made advancements in other medical fields, including the use of heparin for blood clot treatment and supporting the Canadian military's health during World War II. He held prestigious positions, including honorary head of various diabetes organizations and serving as a professor at the University of Toronto. Best's legacy is honored by numerous awards and institutions, such as the Charles H. Best Institute. He passed away on March 31, 1978, leaving behind a lasting impact on medicine and healthcare.
Charles Best
- Born: February 27, 1899
- Died: March 31, 1978
Background
Medical scientist Charles Herbert Best was born on February 27, 1899, in West Pembroke, Maine. His parents, Herbert Huestis Best and Luella Fisher Best, were Canadians from Nova Scotia living in the United States. Charles attended secondary school in Maine. In 1915, Best finished high school and moved to Canada to continue his education. He would focus on medical and biological sciences, staying in a related field to that of his father, who was a doctor.
Best enrolled in Harbord Collegiate in Toronto, Ontario, and then began studying at the University of Toronto’s University College. A high-achieving student who became class president, Best paused his education to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces toward the end of World War I (1914–18). Assigned to a mounted artillery unit in 1918, Best trained and served domestically, where he rose to the rank of acting sergeant major.
Scientific Career and Accomplishments
Following the war, Best finished his studies at the University of Toronto, graduating with a degree in physiology and biochemistry in 1919. After that, Best began serving as a research assistant for professors and scientists. In early 1921, he found a position assisting Sir Frederick Banting, who was studying the functions of the pancreas. The pancreas is a gland that creates chemicals that help break down food into components the body can use. At the time, the exact workings of the pancreas were poorly understood.
Although Best’s appointment to Banting’s lab was originally meant to be temporary, Best and Banting formed a good working relationship. For that reason, Best stayed on for the duration of the tests.
After more than two months of experiments, the researchers discovered that injecting pancreatic insulin into one of the test dogs caused the dog’s blood sugar to decrease. They quickly replicated this test and discovered similar results in other dogs. Finally, they had found a correlation between the pancreas, insulin, and blood sugar. Their research led to new understandings about the role of the pancreas, as well as the causes—and potential cures—for diabetes and other disorders related to blood sugar.
Banting and Best wrote to fellow researcher John J. R. Macleod, published a detailed report called The Internal Secretion of the Pancreas, and spoke before the University of Toronto’s Physiological Society. By the end of 1921, Banting, Best, Macleod, and fellow researcher J.B. Collip spoke before the American Physiological Society, the members of which were eager to learn about their discoveries and their application to diabetes.
With their findings publicized and the scientific community in agreement with their conclusions, Best and the team set out to create practical uses for their discovery. Together, they worked to develop an extract of insulin that could be mass-produced to help diabetic patients. By 1922, the group gained the support of the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company.
Best became a major figure in the production process and in collaborations between laboratories and the Canadian government. In addition to these responsibilities, Best enrolled in the University of Toronto’s medical school to continue his education.
He was still a student while the effects of his world-changing co-discovery played out. The government passed the Banting and Best Medical Research Act to open more funding to medical experimentation, and the University of Toronto created the Banting and Best Chair of Medical Research. Best moved to London, England, to complete his doctorate, but stayed in close contact with Banting and the University of Toronto. He moved back in 1927 to become a professor and head of the physiology department.
He continued his experimentations during this time and added another important breakthrough to his legacy, namely discovering a way to use a blood thinner, heparin, during medical procedures and to treat blood clots. During World War II (1939–45), Best helped the Canadian Royal Navy prepare their personnel for long voyages, boosting their health against malnutrition, motion sickness, and other ailments common to sailors. He also discovered and analyzed other important chemicals, including choline and histaminase. Even after this work, Best remained inextricably linked to insulin, and following the war continued studying the material and advocating for research and education into diabetes.
Impact
As the co-discoverer of the uses of insulin, Charles Best gave new hope to millions of people with life-threatening diseases such as diabetes. His findings relating to the uses of heparin have helped organ transplant and heart surgery patients for generations. Other work, from studying the effects of sea voyages on the human body to inspiring new scientists and physiologists, has also helped usher medicine and healthcare into their advanced modern state.
In 1923, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine to Banting and Macleod for their work. Best was not included in the official award because he had still been a student during the time, but historians credit both men as a team. Despite missing the Nobel Prize, Best gained dozens of awards and honors during his career. He won national and international awards, attained the rank of Surgeon Captain in the Navy, and served as honorary head of the International Diabetes Federation, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the American Diabetes Association. The University of Toronto honored Best with the opening of the Charles H. Best Institute in the 1950s.
Personal Life
Best and Margaret Hooper Mahon were married on September 3, 1924. Best retired from his scientific work in 1965 but still toured and gave lectures on his experiences. He died on March 31, 1978, in Toronto General Hospital at the age of seventy-nine.
Bibliography
Best, Henry B.M. Margaret and Charley: The Personal Story of Dr. Charles Best, Co-Discoverer of Insulin. Dundurn Press, 2003.
“Biography of Charles Herbert Best (1899–1978).” University of Toronto Libraries, insulin.library.utoronto.ca/about/best. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
"Charles H. Best". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-H-Best. Accessed 28 August 2024.
“Diabetes Treatment: Using Insulin to Manage Blood Sugar.” Mayo Clinic, 4 Aug. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-treatment/art-20044084. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
“Insulin Resistance and Tyoe 2 Diabetes.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/insulin-resistance-type-2-diabetes.html. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Palme, Rachel Delle. “Charles Best After Insulin Co-Discovery,” Banting House NHSC, bantinghousenhs.ca/2019/04/04/charles-best-after-insulin-co-discovery/. Accessed 7 May 2023.
Selected Papers of Charles H. Best. University of Toronto Press, 1963.