[Alice]

A little off-topic...was there a Nobel Prize given for the discovery of insulin? I hope so...

[Geoff]

Hello Alice, Yes in 1923 the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to Frederick Banting an John macleod for their part in the discovery of insulin.

[BriOnH]

Originally Posted by Real4

Why is that a bad definition? It is a functional definition for calibrating an insulin dose. You need a single measure so that all forms and types of insulin can have the same meaning - in terms of the insulin's physiological effects on the body.

Because a 'unit of insulin' is a measurement of of the amount of protein (insulin) found in a quantitative dosage. A measurement in a measurement. I don't know how old the study is, but today, relative to BlueSky's findings, we can accurately know how many insulin proteins are in a unit.

The weight of the suspension fluid, minus the weight of the sf with insulin in it (and 'fillers') , divided by the mass of the protien of the weight found = the amount of insulin in 1 unit of insulin. Quality assurance of the test in a rabbit is fine, but it doesn't, imho, define the quantitate definition of a unit of insulin.

[Geoff]

Hi Brian, I think you are as we say in the U.K. "Nit picking" insulin is produced to a International standard. so as Bluesky inferred, the effect has to measured against something. So as I see the interpretation, it is a method that you can use to calibrate what the standard produced 1 unit of insulin will have on your personal system.

In answer to your question "how old is the study" the definition comes from a book that was published in 2004, and as I said in a past posting, if anyone wants to read the book, Pm me, and I will send you a copy in pdf format.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by xMenace

Is that an African or European a rabbit?

Oh, yeah... an African rabbit, maybe, but not a European rabbit.