Early History of Diabetes

The early history of diabetes began approximately in 1552 B.C. with it being mentioned in the 3rd Dynasty Egyptian papyrus by a physician by the name of Hesy-Ra. The papyrus stated that there was a disease that causes one to lose weight and urinate often. In 1st century A.D. diabetes was described as "the melting down of flesh and limbs into urine" by Arateus.

The 19th Century

In the early 19th century the first chemical was developed to test how much sugar was in the urine. The history of diabetes of the late 1850's, Priorry, a French physician recommends diabetes patients to have a high intake of sugar in their diet for a treatment to diabetes.

By the 1870's another French physician by the name of Bouchardat notices there is no glycosuria in diabetes patients that were affected by the food ration in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. This loss of glycosuria made him realize that diets needed to be put into effect for each individual diabetes patient. With these diets, calorie intakes were very important for each individual diet regime. By the late 19th century, Catoni, an Italian diabetes specialist quarantines his patients under lock and key so they will follow the strict diet guidelines for their diabetes disease.

The 20th Century

The history of diabetes continues into the 20th century with fad diets that are predicted to cure diabetes altogether. The diets included the oat diet, milk diet, rice diet and potato diet. The talk of another method was the use of opium to cure diabetes.

The history of diabetes from 1910-1920 was often linked to a diabetes specialist in the United States by the name of Frederick Madison Allen. He was one of the two leading doctors that specialized in diabetes in the United States at that time. Allen published a book in 1913 after three long years of studying the disease. The book was titles Studies Concerning Glycosuria and Diabetes. This book Allen wrote proved to be beneficial to the therapies developed for diabetes and the revolution of the disease itself.

In 1919 Allen publishes another book, Total Dietary Regulation in the Treatment of Diabetes. The book entails 76 descriptions of cases he had observed of diabetes patients. This same year Allen becomes the director at the Rockefeller Institute for the research of diabetes. Between the year 1919 and 1920, Allen opens his first clinic in which diabetes patients can be treated. Diabetes patients, wealthy and desperate come to be treated at his clinic.

The summer of 1921 insulin was discovered when a de-pancreatized dog was treated with insulin with successful results. In the 1940's a link is made between diabetes and long term complications a patient with diabetes may incur in later years. These complications could lead to eye and kidney disease. History of diabetes continued throughout the 20th century on into the 21st century.

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