Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle

Thea Cooper, B.A., Bard College, M.F.A., Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and co-author of Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg (St. Martin's Press, September 2010).

On October 31, 1920, Frederick Banting was an orthopedic surgeon looking for work when, half-asleep in the midst of a restless night, he scrawled twenty-five words that would lead to the life-saving solution to a problem that had confounded scientists for centuries. Less than two years later, the fourteen-year-old diabetic daughter of the U.S. Secretary of State, Elizabeth Hughes, became one of the first recipients of an experimental drug called insulin. This improbable meeting would change both of their lives – and millions of others. 

But for nearly sixty years, Elizabeth's story was virtually lost to history. 

More than 23 million people in the United States, or about 8% of the population, have diabetes, and 5 to 10% of these have Type 1 diabetes. Yet many do not know the amazing story that led to the medical breakthrough on which they depend. 

Join us for an evening with Thea Cooper as she discusses the writing and research of the just-published true story of medical history, serendipity, and remarkable perseverance.

From The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/bKhTSw