The discovery and early development of insulin at the University of Toronto by scientists Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best continues to be one of the great landmark achievements in the history of the university. Over the past year, the 90th anniversary of the discovery has been celebrated in many ways, from new books to web sites to a multimedia exhibit at the UofT’s MaRS.
The Fisher is proud to hold the manuscript papers of both Banting and Best, and the collections are among the most important holdings of the library. The Fisher digitized two rare multimedia materials from the Banting collection. The video, seen below (it can also be accessed by linking here) consists of two separate films of Banting: a 90-second clip of Banting from 1932 working in his Toronto laboratory, and another short clip from 1929. The audio clip is from 1940 – four months before Banting’s death – and is a message to Canadians overseas. It’s the only known audio clip of Banting in existence. It can be listened to via the link below or clicking here.
Click on the names to access the Finding Aids for the Banting Papers and the Best Papers. Other important manuscript collections that relate to the discovery and development of insulin include the J.P. Collip Papers, the Elizabeth Hughes Papers and the Clark Noble Papers.
The online digital site "The Discovery and Early Development of Insulin" documents the initial period of the discovery and development of insulin, 1921-1925, by presenting over six thousand page images reproducing original documents ranging from laboratory notebooks and charts, correspondence, writings, and published papers to photographs, awards, clippings, scrapbooks and printed ephemera.