Charles Best (medical scientist)
As a young lab assistant, his meticulous work was crucial in isolating insulin, turning a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.
1899–1978 (age 79)·Canadian co-discoverer of insulin·Birthday: February 27·The Lost Generation
Biography
Charles Best's legacy is inextricably linked to one of medicine's most dramatic breakthroughs. In the summer of 1921, as a 22-year-old University of Toronto student, he was hired as a lab assistant to Frederick Banting. Their task was to extract the mysterious pancreatic substance believed to regulate blood sugar. While Banting provided the surgical direction, Best's skill in chemistry and physiology was vital; he perfected the extraction techniques, conducted countless blood sugar tests on diabetic dogs, and kept precise records. When the first purified extract was successfully tested on a human patient in 1922, Best was in the room. Though the Nobel Prize controversially went to Banting and their supervisor J.J.R. Macleod, history remembers Best as a core discoverer. He spent his subsequent career leading the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, championing international standardization of insulin, and investigating other substances like choline and heparin.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Charles was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 70
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Died at 79
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
Key Achievements
- Co-discovered insulin with Frederick Banting in 1921 through key laboratory work on extraction and testing.
- Served as the first director of the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research at the University of Toronto.
- Played a leading role in the development of international insulin standards for purity and potency.
- Conducted significant research on the vitamin-like nutrient choline and its role in preventing fatty liver disease.
Did You Know?
He and Banting flipped a coin to decide who would get the first injection of their pancreatic extract during early testing; Best lost and received a dose, suffering a severe allergic reaction.
During World War I, he served in the Canadian Army, commanding a depot in Nova Scotia.
He was a passionate advocate for science funding and helped establish the Canadian Diabetes Association.
His son, Henry Best, became a noted historian and university administrator.
“The pancreas of the dog is now in the freezing mixture.”
