The role of insulin in Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus has been known to exist from time immemorial. It was recognised in ancient Egypt and has been found described in Indian Sanskrit Verdic literature as "the passing of urine with honey". Aretaus (1st century A.tD.) gave the first classical description of the disease and laid emphasis on the large amounts of urine passed - hence the term diabetes, from the Greek for siphon. It was left to Thomas Willis who, recognizing the importance of sugar in the urine, added the term mellitus - Latin for honeyed - in 1674, thereby distinguishing it from the insipid variety. Chevreul in 1815 finally defined the nature of the reducing substance in urine of diabetics to be glucose.