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Show POINTS ON KEEPING WELL Dr. Frederick R. Green, Editor of "Health." Ivw. Wmlern N-vbu per Union.) WHAT IS INSULIN? pWAISIiTF.S In a disease character-l.ed character-l.ed by the prchenca of augur In thu urine. It huH been known for Ihou-sanda Ihou-sanda of 3'eara. Formerly regarded aa a dlscaHe of the kidney h, It was found, about forty yours, ago, to be due to degeneration of the pancreas, following Home Intec-tlon, Intec-tlon, audi us lulluenzu or typhoid fever. fe-ver. It may be caused by obesity. In lN'.HI, Langerhuns found that only a part of the gland was destroyed In diabetics and (hat the puucreua wus really two glands ln one. line gland secretes the pancreatic Juice, which goes Into Uie amall Intestine Intes-tine and aids digestion. The other gland manuiactures a substance which Is taken up by the blood und which la necessary for augur digestion. The parts of the gland which secrete this second Kubalance are called the lsluuds of LnngerhuiiH. If these Islands degenerate, then the sugar In the food, Instead of being used by the body, Is discharged through the kidneys. So that, no matter how much the patient eats, he Is unuble to get enough nourishment, becuuse much of his; food la thrown away. Diabetic patients have enormous appetites, ap-petites, but the more they cut the more pooiiy nourished they nre. To tuuke mutters worse, the changed chemistry of the body produces an mid condition of the blood culled acidosis, which eventually poisons the patient. Ho becomes unconscious what Is known as diabetic coma and usually Ijever awakens. In Pdll, Dr. F. O. Panting, a young Canadian physician, determined to find this mysterious substnnoe. the absence of which caused diabetes. After many experiments he succeeded suc-ceeded In making a serum containing the secretion of the Islands of Langer-hnns, Langer-hnns, which he called Insulin. It Is now made from the pancreas of the hog, w hich contains more Insulin than thnt of any other animal. P.efore the discovery of Insulin the only thing the doctor could do for diabetics dia-betics was to give them a starch and sugar-free diet. Since Doctor Hunting's discovery It Is possible to restore the diabetic patient pa-tient to practically normal condition. The doctor weighs the patient's food, estimates the amount of sugnr eaten and the umount of sugur excreted. Then he gives the patient enough Insulin to digest the sugar taken Into the body. This enables the body to absorb It. Insulin Is not n cure for diabetes. It replaces' the missing substance In tho I Mood of the diabetic patient nnd so enables him to lead a normal life, i It Is not a substitute for other methods meth-ods of treatment. Cnreful diet and ways of living nre mill necessary. ' It Is possible that Its continued use may restore the pancreas to normal, j at least in mild enses, but this we do ' not know, as yet. |