1994 INDUCTEE Charles H. Best, MD DSc Blood, Diabetes, Heart & Vessels, Leadership in Organizational Development, Hormones, Diabetes

Charles H. Best posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

London, Ontario

After the war, Best continued his work with diabetes research.

In 1953, the Charles H. Best Institute opened. He remained with the Institute until his retirement in 1965.

Best was appointed the director of the medical research unit in the Canadian Navy.

He contributed significantly to the war effort through his studies related to night vision and the prevention of seasickness.

Charles Best joined the newly established Banting and Best Medical Research Department

Best was appointed co-director and honorary research associate. During the 1930s, Best and his research team purified heparin extract for safe human use.

Following his early success, Best went on to obtain his medical degree and PhD.

He eventually replaced Dr. J.J.R. Macleod as head of the Department of Physiology at The University of Toronto in 1929.

The Insulin extract was further refined and purified with the expertise and skills of Dr. J.B. Collip, making it available for clinical trials on human subjects

The research team sold the patent to The University of Toronto for $1, allowing insulin to be mass produced for the treatment of diabetes. The team received immediate acclaim.

Working under Dr. J.J.R Macleod, Banting and Best began laboratory work using dogs to test Banting’s hypothesis that an internal secretion of the pancreas could be used to treat diabetes.

Best’s methodical approach to chemical analyses and purification complimented Banting’s intuitive intellect. Less than three months later, they isolated a protein hormone which was later named insulin.