ENCOUNTER
Elizabeth Hughes, the daughter of Charles Evans Hughes, the U.S. Secretary of State, was diagnosed with diabetes in 1919 at the age of eleven and was immediately put on Allen's starvation diet. When her parents heard about insulin, they contacted Banting and he agreed to treat Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was taken to Toronto in August 1922, and there she met Dr. Banting. Elizabeth was one of his sickest patients. He put her on insulin immediately. This encounter changed her life.
Elizabeth was taken to Toronto in August 1922, and there she met Dr. Banting. Elizabeth was one of his sickest patients. He put her on insulin immediately. This encounter changed her life.
Wt 45 lbs. height 5 ft. patient extremely emaciated, slight aedema of ankles, skin dry & scaly, hair brittle & thin, abdomen prommt [sic], shoulders drooped, muscles extremely wasted, subcutaneous tissues almost completely absorbed. She was scarcely able to walk on account of weakness. Respiratory, digestive & cardio-vascular systems normal.
-Frederick Banting's assessment of Elizabeth's health before insulin, 1922