Recent Letters

Thursday, 8 April 2010

I am a fat boy now

Below we have two messages from the 1920s, both sent to the same man - Frederick Banting - as a result of his enormous contribution to a scientific development which to this day continues to save the lives of many. That development was the discovery and isolation of insulin. The first is a letter of thanks from one of the first batch of diabetic patients; a grateful young boy named Teddy Ryder who, due to the groundbreaking treatment, lived to the age of 76. That same year - 1923 - Frederick Banting and J. J. R. Macleod were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their efforts. They were notified by way of the telegram also seen below.

Both documents are part of the fascinating Discovery of Insulin Collection at the University of Toronto Library.

Transcripts follow.





Transcripts

Letter
DEAR DR. BANTING,

I WISH YOU COULD COME TO SEE ME. I AM A FAT BOY NOW AND I FEEL FINE. I CAN CLIMB A TREE. MARGARET WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU.

LOTS OF LOVE FROM

TEDDY RYDER
Telegram
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY'S TELEGRAPH
TELEGRAM
CABLE CONNECTIONS TO ALL THE WORLD
J. McMILLAN, General Manager of Telegraphs, Montreal.

187AXJW-38 VIA HX OCT 25TH
STOCKHOLM

DOCTOR FREDERICK G BANTING
INSTITUTE OF PHYSIOLOGY
TORONTO CANADA

THE THE ROYAL CAROLINE INSTITUTE HAS PRESENTED TO YOU TOGETHER WITH PROFESSOR W J R MACLEOD THE NOBEL PRIZE OF THE YEAR 1923.

YOURS SINCERELY HJALMAR FORSSNER PRINCIPAL OF THE INSITTUTE

1030PM

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I am a fat boy now and I feel fine."
That's pretty awesome.

Anonymous said...

:'D *TEAR*...such a lovely letter.

App Developer said...

What a beautiful combination of two signs of gratitude; one from a child and the other on behalf of the whole of humanity.
Letters of Note doesn't normally bring tears to my eyes but this has :)
There's something very moving about humble greatness.

Anonymous said...

As a parent of a child with diabetes, that letter makes me laugh, cry, and feel so grateful to Drs. Banting and Best.

Lunch Bag Art said...

He can climb a tree!

Excellent post as always.

Central Harlem Anonymous said...

What a wonderful website this is.

Caimo said...

he saved my life - I'd be dead 15 years this year if it wasn't for him. My family would be struggling to remember what I looked like. I'd have never met my wife, or my nephews or nieces. I wouldn't have seen Liverpool win the champions league in 2005. The world would have rolled on without me - it will one day, but not yet, thanks to Dr. Banting.

arista said...

Wonderful! I bet by 'fat boy' he meant he was finally a healthy weight.

Anonymous said...

That is just beautiful. Arista is right- dramatic weight loss is often a sign of untreated juvenile diabetes. What a poignant reminder of a lifesaving discovery.

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