Heritage Building Historical Timeline

INSULIN

30 October, 1920

 Frederick Banting conceives an idea for extracting an anti-diabetic pancreatic secretion.
8 November, 1920

 Banting meets with J.J.R. Macleod, who assigns him a lab and Charles Best as a research assistant.
May,
1921

 Banting and Best begin laboratory work.
December, 1921

 J.B. Collip, a specialist in tissue extracts, joins the team.
11 January, 1922

 First human test on Leonard Thomson. Results are promising, but toxic side-effects prevent further testing.
23 January, 1922

 Thomson tested again with a refined extract. All symptoms of his diabetes 'miraculously' disappear.
22 March,
1922

 Team publishes its findings, prompting a flurry of media and public attention.
March-May, 1922
 Collip temporarily loses ability to produce insulin. Insulin Committee (IC) is created to expand the resource base to develop Insulin for mass-production.
30 May,
1922

 IC licenses U.S.A. production rights to Eli Lilly & Co.
November, 1922

 IC grants development and production rights to Britain's "Medical Research Council" and Denmark's "Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium".
Late 1923

 Mass-production of Insulin begins.
TGH College Wing
View of TGH College Wing from College St.

HEPARIN AND ITS SURGICAL APPLICATIONS

1917
 Crude, highly toxic form of Heparin discovered at Johns Hopkins University.
1929
 Charles Best assigns project of purifying heparin to D.A. Scott and A.F. Charles of Connaught Laboratories.
1933-34
 Efficient Heparin production method established.
6 April,
1935
 Gordon Murray administers the first clinical test of Heparin.
1946
 Murray develops surgical cure for Blue Baby Syndrome
6 December,   
1946
 Murray tests North America's first artificial kidney on a human subject
2 May,
1952
 Murray performs first human kidney transplant
November,     
1955
 Raymond Heimbecker performs the first successful human heart valve transplant.
1947
 William Bigelow begins testing use of hypothermia in open-heart surgery.
1950
 Bigelow develops and tests the first artificial pacemaker
Operating room in TGH
The operating room in TGH's College Wing