REFLECTIONS ON THE CAUSATION OF DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

My interest in diabetes began with a residency at the Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago, to which I was appointed by Dr. Billings. The Sprague Memorial Institute had been founded not long before at Dr. Billings' instigation and was supporting the research of Dr. Woodyatt. My days were divided equally between the hospital and Dr. Woodyatt's laboratory. As I recall that period, there was no uncertainty then about the cause of diabetes. It had been shown by von Mering and Minkowski1that ablation of sufficient pancreatic tissue would provoke diabetes in the dog. It was known from the work of Allen2and of Homans3that degeneration of the islets in the pancreatic remnant of partially depancreatized dogs was followed by development of diabetes, andit had been observed by Opie4that the islets of the pancreas of diabetic patients were frequently abnormal when examined after death. Diabetes mellitus