Dr. Frederick Banting co-discoverer of insulin and Nobel Laureate

A Visit to the Roots of a Medical Breakthrough

On a recent walk through Alliston, Ontario — about an hour north of Toronto — I visited the childhood farm of Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin and a name forever etched in medical history.

Born on November 14, 1891, Frederick Banting was the youngest of five siblings, growing up on this very land. It was a humble beginning for a man whose work, alongside Dr. Charles Best, would go on to save millions of lives.

In an interesting historical footnote, Banting was related to William Banting, a prominent English undertaker whose family firm on St. James’s Street, London, served as the official funeral directors to the Royal Household. The Banting company handled the funerals of monarchs including King George III, Queen Victoria, and King Edward VII — a curious contrast to Frederick Banting’s life-giving legacy.

At the family farm, a striking monument commemorates the 100th anniversary of insulin’s discovery, honouring not just Banting and Best, but the entire team involved in what was once described as a “miracle cure.”

Today, Sir Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best rest in close proximity to one another in Toronto’s Mount Pleasant Cemetery — a final closeness that mirrors the partnership that changed the world.