Rediscovery of Insulin

A Study

Rediscovery of Insulin
A Study by Academician Constantin Ionescu-Tîrgoviște
Rediscovery of Insulin is a landmark historical and scientific investigation into one of the most consequential medical discoveries of modern times—the identification of insulin. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, archival research, and newly uncovered documents, Academician Constantin Ionescu-Tîrgoviște offers a rigorous re-examination of the events surrounding insulin’s discovery and its subsequent clinical application.
At the heart of this study lies a fundamental distinction too often blurred by traditional historiography: the difference between the scientific discovery of insulin and its therapeutic use in humans. Through meticulous analysis, the author demonstrates that the discovery itself was achieved in Europe, in 1921, by the Romanian physiologist Nicolae C. Paulescu, whose experimental work clearly identified the anti-diabetic hormone of the pancreas—years before its clinical exploitation in Toronto.
This volume reconstructs, step by step, the pre-insulin era, the decisive experiments of Paulescu, the controversial developments in Canada, and the complex interplay of scientific ambition, institutional politics, national interests, and commercial pressures that culminated in the Nobel Prize of 1923. Far from a polemical account, the book is grounded in primary sources, published scientific papers, patents, correspondence, and testimonies from key figures involved in the insulin saga.
More than a history of a hormone, Rediscovery of Insulin is also a profound reflection on scientific ethics, the nature of priority in discovery, and the fragile relationship between truth and recognition in modern science. It challenges entrenched narratives and invites readers—scientists, physicians, historians, and informed laypersons alike—to reconsider what it truly means to “discover” something in medicine.
This thoroughly revised and expanded edition integrates new evidence and offers the most comprehensive and balanced account to date of insulin’s origins, restoring historical accuracy while honoring all genuine contributions.

About the Author
Constantin Ionescu-Tîrgoviște is a renowned Romanian physician, diabetologist, and medical researcher, internationally respected for his contributions to endocrinology and the history of medicine. An academician and long-standing authority in diabetes research, he has combined clinical excellence with an exceptional commitment to scientific integrity and historical truth.
Throughout his career, Professor Ionescu-Tîrgoviște has been deeply involved in both patient care and fundamental research, while also dedicating decades to the meticulous study of the discovery of insulin. His work has played a decisive role in the international recognition of Nicolae C. Paulescu’s priority in identifying insulin as the pancreatic anti-diabetic hormone.
The author has published extensively in medical and scientific journals and has been an influential voice in international debates on the ethics of scientific discovery. His scholarship is distinguished by clarity, documentary rigor, and moral seriousness, making him one of the most authoritative figures to address the complex legacy of insulin’s discovery.
Rediscovery of Insulin stands as the culmination of a lifetime of research, offering future generations a definitive reference on one of medicine’s most transformative breakthroughs.