Blog
Four Names on One Peptide: The Insulin Nobel Prize and the Fight Over Credit
Insulin was discovered in 1921 and 1922, and by autumn 1923 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had been awarded. It went to two men. At least four had done essential work, and the argument over who deserved what began the moment the announcement was made.
Key takeaways
- The 1923 prize went to Frederick Banting and John Macleod.
- Banting, furious that Charles Best was left out, announced he would share his money with Best.
- Macleod then shared his with James Collip, the chemist who purified the extract.
- Banting, at 31, remains the youngest person to win the prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- The story is a case study in how complex discoveries are credited.
Who did what
- Banting had the idea of isolating the pancreatic secretion and persuaded Macleod to lend lab space and dogs in Toronto in 1921.
- Best, a young student, worked alongside him on the experiments that produced the first active extracts.
- Macleod ran the laboratory, advised on methods and later coordinated the wider research effort.
- Collip purified the extract, making it safe to give to patients, as told in our Collip post.
The announcement
In October 1923, the Nobel committee announced the prize for Banting and Macleod. Banting was reported to be angry that Best had been omitted and that the prize was shared with Macleod, whom he felt had contributed less. He publicly announced that he would split his half with Best. Macleod, in turn, divided his share with Collip.
A giveaway of rights
The team had earlier sold their patent rights on insulin to the University of Toronto for one dollar each, a deliberate choice to keep the treatment accessible. Within a couple of years, insulin was being produced commercially in North America and Europe, and patients like those in Leonard Thompson’s story and Elizabeth Hughes’s story were no longer rare.
What happened to the four
Banting was knighted in 1934 and died in a plane crash during World War II. Best became a distinguished researcher in Toronto. Macleod returned to Scotland and spent his later career at Aberdeen. Collip continued in endocrinology in Canada. Historians still debate the balance of their contributions, and the story has been told many ways.
Lessons for reading peptide research
- Discoveries are usually collective, and credit rarely matches work.
- The first positive result is rarely the last step; purification and measurement are their own achievements.
- Evidence builds in layers, which is why we publish the evidence ladder guide.
- Whether a result holds up depends on controls and replication, as in placebo effects and regression to the mean.
The bottom line
Insulin is still the best-known peptide drug, and its history shows how a single molecule can bring together surgeons, students, chemists and physiologists. Explore more peptide history in our history of peptide drugs, and see our documented compounds on the research catalog.
Related reading
- The chemist who made insulin usable
- Leonard Thompson, the first patient
- History of peptide drugs
- Browse the full Research Library
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For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. This article is educational and is not medical advice.