Charles Best

Overview

Charles Herbert Best (February 27, 1899 – March 31, 1978) was a Canadian-American medical scientist best known for his partnership with Frederick Banting in the discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto in 1921. At the time, Best was a 22-year-old physiology graduate student and was chosen by J.J.R. Macleod to work with Banting during the summer after a coin toss with another student, Clark Noble.

Best's contribution was substantial. He carried out many of the dog surgeries and blood glucose measurements, maintained meticulous laboratory notebooks, and remained involved in the clinical translation of insulin at Eli Lilly. Although the 1923 Nobel Prize was awarded to Banting and Macleod rather than to the full team, Banting shared his portion with Best, and the omission of Best from the Nobel ceremony became one of the most famous controversies in the history of science.

Following the insulin work, Best enjoyed a distinguished independent career. He was a co-discoverer of the anticoagulant heparin (with Jay McLean and William Henry Howell, although the contributions of each remain debated), performed seminal work on choline and fat metabolism, and led the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto for decades.

Background

Best was born in West Pembroke, Maine, to Canadian parents and grew up partly in the United States and partly in Canada. He studied at the University of Toronto, graduating in physiology and biochemistry in 1921. He had been planning to enter medical school later that year when Macleod selected him to assist Banting during the summer.

After the insulin work, Best completed his medical degree at Toronto (1925) and received postgraduate training in London under Sir Henry Dale. He returned to Toronto and eventually succeeded Macleod as chair of physiology. Best held numerous international advisory positions, including at the World Health Organization, and received honorary degrees from many institutions worldwide.

Key Contributions

• Co-isolation of insulin with Banting in 1921.
• Laboratory technique and record-keeping that made the insulin work reproducible.
• Co-discovery of heparin's clinical applicability through the 1930s.
• Work on choline and phospholipid metabolism, helping establish the concept of essential lipotropic factors.
• Leadership of the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research at Toronto.

Timeline

• 1899: Born in West Pembroke, Maine.
• 1921: Begins insulin work with Banting.
• 1923: Insulin is licensed to Eli Lilly and becomes a commercial product.
• 1925: Graduates in medicine from Toronto.
• 1929: Appointed head of the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto.
• 1930s–1950s: Research on heparin, choline, and diabetic complications.
• 1978: Dies in Toronto at age 79.

Modern Relevance

Best is celebrated as a model of the young scientist's contribution to a foundational discovery and as a reminder of how Nobel selection can fail to capture the real structure of scientific work. The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre at the University of Toronto continues to be a leading diabetes research institution.

Best's later contributions to heparin and lipid biology are sometimes overlooked but remain important. The continuing use of heparin in anticoagulation and the ongoing recognition of choline as an essential nutrient both have roots in Best's post-insulin research. For related history, see banting-best-insulin and frederick-banting.

Related Compounds

• Insulin
• Heparin
• Choline
• Glucagon
• C-peptide