Charles Herbert Best
| Charles Herbert Best | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 27, 1899 West Pembroke, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | March 31, 1978 (aged 79) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Fields |
Physiologist Biochemistry |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Known for | Co-discoverer of insulin |
| Notable awards | Flavelle Medal (1950) Gairdner Foundation International Award (1971) Order of Canada Order of the British Empire Order of the Companions of Honour |
| Spouse | Margaret Mahon (1900–1988) (m. 1924; his death 1978) |
Charles Herbert Best CC CH CBE FRS FRSC FRCP (February 27, 1899 – March 31, 1978) was a Canadian medical scientist and one of the co-discoverers of insulin.
Born in West Pembroke, Maine on February 27, 1899 to Luella Fisher and Herbert Huestis Best, Canadians from Nova Scotia.
Best married Margaret Hooper Mahon in Toronto in 1924 and they had two sons. One son, Dr. Henry Best was a well-regarded historian who later became president of Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Best's other son was Charles Alexander Best, a Canadian politician and geneticist.
He died on March 31, 1978 in Toronto, Ontario. Best is interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto (section 29) not far from Sir Frederick Banting.
Best moved in 1915 to Toronto, Ontario, where he started studying towards a bachelor of arts degree at University College, University of Toronto. In 1918, he enlisted in the Canadian Army serving with the 2nd Canadian Tank Battalion. After the war, he completed his degree in physiology and biochemistry.
As a 22-year-old medical student at the University of Toronto he worked as an assistant to the surgeon Dr. Frederick Banting and contributed to the discovery of the pancreatic hormone insulin, which led to an effective treatment for diabetes. In the spring of 1921, Banting travelled to Toronto to visit J.J.R. Macleod, professor of physiology at the University of Toronto, and asked Macleod if he could use his laboratory to isolate pancreatic extracts from dogs. Macleod was initially sceptical, but eventually agreed before leaving on holiday for the summer. Before leaving for Scotland he supplied Banting with ten dogs for experiment and two medical students, Charles Best and Clark Noble, as lab assistants.
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