IT BELONGS TO THE WORLD

A simply told tale of how dedication and painstaking work led to the discovery of a treatment for a devastating autoimmune disorder.

This exploration of the achievements of scientist Frederick Banting doesn’t explain the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes until the glossary and never mentions gestational or other types of diabetes at all. And some readers may be put off by descriptions of how his research involved removing pancreases from healthy dogs, especially given the author’s earlier, insistent references to Banting’s youthful love of farm animals. What does come through clearly, however, is his stubborn persistence (following a late-night Eureka! moment about a new approach) in working with colleagues to find a way to isolate the pancreatic hormone he eventually dubbed “insulin,” as well as the laudable altruism that led him to pass up big bucks and give away the formula with the titular comment. Along with an indignant complaint about the unjustly high cost of insulin today, the author leaves readers with simple descriptions of the nature of Type 1 diabetes and the mechanism of insulin. In the simply drawn illustrations, the small bottles of medication, the green blood sugar indicators floating above the heads of joyful former patients, and even the lab dogs are depicted with smiling faces. Though major figures are white, brown faces mingle with lighter ones in most of the other lab and outdoor group scenes.

Sugary but significant, despite its somewhat unsystematic presentation.