Who Discovered Diabetes

Who Discovered Diabetes ?

It is not correctly known who discovered diabetes. There is evidence that ancient civilizations of India, Greece, Egypt, Rome and China were aware of the disease centuries ago, but the Egyptians identified it 3500 years ago. It has been variously described, but the striking feature appears to be the sweet effect of urine in a diabetic.

Medieval doctors called it the ‘sweet urine disease’. There are texts in existence that make reference to its treatment.

One element in common was that diabetes was considered a death sentence. It was believed that the flesh and bones melted down into urine. Possibly this was occasioned by the fact a diabetic loses weight at an alarming rate for no apparent reason and urinates profusely.

The name diabetes is ascribed to Aretaeus a Greek who named it after the Greek word for ‘siphon’. To quote from his diagnosis: "...For fluids do not remain in the body, but use the body only as a channel through which they may flow out. Life lasts only for a time, but not very long. For they urinate with pain and painful is the emaciation. For no essential part of the drink is absorbed by the body while great masses of the flesh are liquefied into urine." Aretaeus was as confused as the other to a remedy but recommended dates, oil of roses, raw quinces and gruel. As recently as the 17th century physicians prescribed ‘jelly of viper’s flesh, broken red coral, sweet almonds and fresh flowers of blind nettles.’

It was not until 1921 that the miracle drug insulin was discovered in Canada that changed the whole complexion of the disease.

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Who Discovered Diabetes