John James Richard Macleod
Encyclopedia
John James Rickard Macleod FRS (6 September 1876 – 16 March 1935) was a Scottish
physician and physiologist. He was noted as one of the co-discoverers of insulin and awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery.
, Perthshire
, Scotland
. He was the son of the Rev. Robert Macleod.
During 1898 he received his medical degree from University of Aberdeen
and went to work for a year at the University of Leipzig
. During 1899 he was appointed Demonstrator of Physiology
at the London Hospital Medical School and in 1902 he was appointed Lecturer in Biochemistry
at the school. During 1903 he was appointed Professor of Physiology at, what is now called, Case Western Reserve University
at Cleveland, Ohio
. During 1918 he was elected Professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto
, Canada
. In 1928 he returned to the University of Aberdeen as Regius Professor of Physiology, where he remained until his death in 1935. He is buried in Allenvale Cemetery, Aberdeen.
Macleod's main work was on carbohydrate metabolism and his efforts with Frederick Banting
and Charles Best in the discovery of insulin
(which Romanian physiologist Nicolae Paulescu
discovered as early as 1916) used to treat diabetes. For this Banting and Macleod were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923. Macleod was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin, even though many people (including Banting) publicly insisted that Macleod's involvement was minimal and Best's work had been essential. However, it was Macleod's research plan and his suggestion to inject intravenous degenerated pancreas into depancreatinized dogs that ultimately led to the successful isolation of insulin. There is currently a controversy regarding the role of Banting and Best in attempting to 'write out' Macleod and his colleague James Collip
from the history books. Macleod's receiving the Nobel Prize over Best was controversial at the time (see Nobel Prize controversies).
He wrote eleven books, including Recent Advances in Physiology (1905); Diabetes: its Pathological Physiology (1925); and Carbohydrate Metabolism and Insulin. (1926)
Macleod shared his Nobel award money with James Collip
.
The auditorium
of the Medical Science Building at University of Toronto
is named after J.J.R. Macleod. In 2005 Diabetes UK
named its offices in London in honour of J.J.R. Macleod.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
physician and physiologist. He was noted as one of the co-discoverers of insulin and awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery.
Biography
Macleod was born at ClunieClunie
Clunie is a small settlement in Perthshire, Scotland, 7 km west of Blairgowrie. It lies on the western shore of the Loch of Clunie. Near the village are the foundations of what is believed to have been be a castle used by Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of Scotland, as a base for hunting in the...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was the son of the Rev. Robert Macleod.
During 1898 he received his medical degree from University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
and went to work for a year at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. During 1899 he was appointed Demonstrator of Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the London Hospital Medical School and in 1902 he was appointed Lecturer in Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
at the school. During 1903 he was appointed Professor of Physiology at, what is now called, Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
at Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. During 1918 he was elected Professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1928 he returned to the University of Aberdeen as Regius Professor of Physiology, where he remained until his death in 1935. He is buried in Allenvale Cemetery, Aberdeen.
Macleod's main work was on carbohydrate metabolism and his efforts with Frederick Banting
Frederick Banting
Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....
and Charles Best in the discovery of insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
(which Romanian physiologist Nicolae Paulescu
Nicolae Paulescu
Nicolae Paulescu was a Romanian physiologist, professor of medicine, the discoverer of insulin . The "pancreine" was a crude extract of bovine pancreas in salted water, after which some impurites were removed with hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.-Early life and activities:Born in Bucharest,...
discovered as early as 1916) used to treat diabetes. For this Banting and Macleod were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923. Macleod was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin, even though many people (including Banting) publicly insisted that Macleod's involvement was minimal and Best's work had been essential. However, it was Macleod's research plan and his suggestion to inject intravenous degenerated pancreas into depancreatinized dogs that ultimately led to the successful isolation of insulin. There is currently a controversy regarding the role of Banting and Best in attempting to 'write out' Macleod and his colleague James Collip
James Collip
James Bertram Collip, Ph.D. was part of the Toronto group which isolated insulin. He served as the Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University from 1928-1941 and Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario from 1947-1961, where he was a charter member of The Kappa Alpha...
from the history books. Macleod's receiving the Nobel Prize over Best was controversial at the time (see Nobel Prize controversies).
He wrote eleven books, including Recent Advances in Physiology (1905); Diabetes: its Pathological Physiology (1925); and Carbohydrate Metabolism and Insulin. (1926)
Macleod shared his Nobel award money with James Collip
James Collip
James Bertram Collip, Ph.D. was part of the Toronto group which isolated insulin. He served as the Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University from 1928-1941 and Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario from 1947-1961, where he was a charter member of The Kappa Alpha...
.
The auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
of the Medical Science Building at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
is named after J.J.R. Macleod. In 2005 Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK is a patient, healthcare professional and research charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with diabetes and to working towards a future without the chronic condition diabetes....
named its offices in London in honour of J.J.R. Macleod.