Photoblog: Toronto’s gift to the world

In honour of Diabetes Awareness Month, MaRS is proud to have played a role in marking the groundbreaking discovery of insulin made almost 90 years ago. These photos showcase Toronto’s new, permanent monument to the discovery, an exhibit created by the University of Toronto and the University Health Network, unveiled in the MaRS Centre on October 26, 2011.

MaRS is a fitting location for this tribute, given that it’s built on the site of the old Toronto General Hospital wing where Frederick Banting and Charles Best first began testing their extracts on human patients. In 1923 Frederick G. Banting and John J.R. MacLeod were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery. They were aided in their work by Charles H. Best and James Collip. Be sure to check out our Flickr page for high-resolution parent images (or click any image to see a larger version on Flickr).

Banting's desk - made from an Oak growing on UofT campus
Set of beakers and flasks used in the discovery
Beautiful mural of the two scientists
Nobel prize shared by Fredrick Banting and John Macleod
Thanks to everyone involved in this wonderful project
Insulin's international reach
Correspondence between the parties involved
Toronto's Gift to the World

Be sure to check out this inspiring exhibit, right here at MaRS