Sir Frederick Grant Banting (November 14, 1891 to February 21, 1941) was a Canadian physician who, with Charles Best, began the research at the University of Toronto in 1921 that led to the discovery of insulin. He shared the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John James Rickard Macleod and, at 31, was the youngest laureate.
Life in brief
| Born | November 14, 1891, Essa Township, Simcoe County, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Died | February 21, 1941, near Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland |
| Role | Physician, medical researcher, and painter |
| Toronto connection | Studied at the University of Toronto; insulin research in 1921 and 1922; Banting and Best research chair; Banting Institute |
| Honors | Military Cross; Nobel Prize 1923; knighted 1934 |
Early life and education
Banting was the youngest of six children of William Thompson Banting and Margaret Grant and grew up on a farm near Alliston. In 1910 he enrolled in general arts at Victoria College, University of Toronto, but did not pass all his subjects and left after learning he could enter medicine. He began medical studies in 1912 and graduated in December 1916.
War service and early practice
Banting served with the Canadian Army Medical Corps. He was wounded in the right arm by shrapnel at Cambrai on September 28, 1918, and received the Military Cross. In 1919 and 1920 he worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and in July 1920 he opened a general practice in London, Ontario, while teaching part-time at the University of Western Ontario.
The idea and the Toronto laboratory
On October 31, 1920, Banting read an article by Moses Barron on the islets of Langerhans and noted a research idea about diabetes. The article appeared in the November 1920 issue of Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics. On November 8, 1920, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Banting met Macleod, professor of physiology at the University of Toronto, who agreed to provide facilities and animals. Work with Charles Herbert Best began on May 17, 1921. Macleod left for Scotland for the rest of the summer after the first month. By the end of July 1921 the two were injecting pancreatic extracts into depancreatized diabetic dogs, and the dogs’ blood sugar appeared to drop dramatically. The University of Toronto’s insulin history dates the best-known of these trials, on Dog 410, to July 30, 1921. Best’s own life is described on the page for Charles Best.
Collip, the first patient, and the extract
James Bertram Collip joined the group in December 1921, and the team presented its findings to the American Physiological Society in New Haven on December 30, 1921. On January 11, 1922, Leonard Thompson, a boy whom the Dictionary of Canadian Biography calls 13 years old (the University of Toronto’s insulin history says 14), received the first human test at Toronto General Hospital. That first extract had minor effects. Collip’s purified extract was used from January 23. On January 25, 1922, the four researchers signed an agreement to work together on developing it.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography states that harmony was never fully restored to the team, and that there is a prima facie case that Collip’s work made the great leap forward. It also judges Banting’s own claim to be chief discoverer weak, citing inadequate controls and a failed first trial extract. Credit for the discovery is therefore a matter of interpretation, and this page follows the biography in presenting it that way.
Nobel Prize and honors
On October 25, 1923, according to the University of Toronto, Banting became the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with Macleod. He shared his prize money with Best, and Macleod shared his with Collip. That year the Ontario government appointed Banting to a Banting and Best chair of medical research at the University of Toronto, the first purely research professorship at a Canadian university. In 1925 admirers raised $500,000 for the Banting Research Foundation. King George V knighted him in 1934, which the University of Toronto says was much to Banting’s distaste.
Later research and painting
His department grew into the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research. In the 1930s it worked on preventing silicosis in a building named the Banting Institute. He also pursued cancer research and studies of the adrenal cortex, most of which were unproductive. In 1938 he became head of the National Research Council’s Associate Committee on Medical Research. Banting painted as well, and worked with members of the Group of Seven, including A. Y. Jackson. His marriages took place in Toronto: to Marion Wilson Robertson on June 4, 1924 (divorced December 2, 1932), and to Henrietta Elizabeth Ball on June 2, 1939. He had one son from the first marriage.
Death in 1941
In 1939 Banting re-enlisted and turned his research toward aviation medicine. On the night of February 20, 1941, he left Gander, Newfoundland, on a Hudson bomber. The aircraft lost both engines and crash-landed near Musgrave Harbour. Two crew members died instantly, the pilot survived, and Banting died before help arrived. The Dictionary describes the funeral in Toronto as a hero’s and a warrior’s funeral. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography states there is no evidence for rumors of a secret mission or sabotage. For the institution where he worked, see the history of the University of Toronto.
Frequently asked questions
Who discovered insulin?
Banting and Best began the research in Macleod’s laboratory in 1921, and Collip supplied the purified extract used from January 1922. Banting and Macleod received the 1923 Nobel Prize, and the contributions of each person have been debated.
When did Banting win the Nobel Prize?
The University of Toronto dates the announcement to October 25, 1923. According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Banting was 31, the youngest laureate, and the first Canadian winner.
How did Frederick Banting die?
He died on February 21, 1941, after a Hudson bomber carrying him from Gander lost both engines and crash-landed near Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland.
Who was the first person to receive insulin?
Leonard Thompson received the first human test at Toronto General Hospital on January 11, 1922. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography gives his age as 13 and the University of Toronto as 14. That first extract had little effect, and Collip’s purified extract was used from January 23.
Related reading
- Charles Best, Banting’s research partner
- University of Toronto history
- An overview of Toronto’s history
- Toronto timeline
- People of Toronto history
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Banting, Sir Frederick Grant,” vol. 17
- University of Toronto Libraries, “The Discovery and Early Development of Insulin,” page on Frederick Banting
- Parks Canada, “Discovery of Insulin National Historic Event”
- University of Toronto Libraries, “The Discovery and Early Development of Insulin,” page on Charles Best
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Best, Charles Herbert,” vol. 20
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Frederick Banting: Insulin, Nobel Prize and Toronto. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/frederick-banting
MLA: “Frederick Banting: Insulin, Nobel Prize and Toronto.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/frederick-banting. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Frederick Banting: Insulin, Nobel Prize and Toronto.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/frederick-banting.
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